Technical Difficulties
by redwoodoriginal
Summary: In the city of Gotham, there is a girl with a secret. She may go about her days, slipping white lies to hide it, but what she does with her secret does not go unnoticed. Her life is flipped upside down, giving her the chance to finally experience life in a way she never expected. Begins mid season 1. Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice. If I did, it wouldn't have been canceled.
1. Chapter 1

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Gotham Academy**

**Monday, October 12th, 2010**

The chilled autumn breeze gives my legs goosebumps. Just because you wear tights in the cold with your school uniform, doesn't mean they keep your legs warm. But, all I can do is rush inside the school and head to my locker. Everything is finally fixed since the superheroes fought an android called Amazo within these walls. I exchange my homework stuff for the supplies for my morning classes. I manage to make my science class just before the bell rings. I sit down at my empty lab table. At first I think it's just one of those days where he's just not going to show up, but after a few minutes, he rushes in and sits down. The two of us pull out our notebooks and begin copying the notes that Mrs. Reed begins writing on the board for Chemistry. I look around and hear everyone whispering about the volcanic eruption that occurred in Yellowstone National Park last night. Apparently it was made known this morning that Red Tornado diverted the ash cloud, which is why a worldwide nuclear winter didn't occur considering the mass of the cloud produced.

"How's your morning so far, Ronnie?" He asks me in a whisper. I always feel intimidated by him, being a super smart freshman in a junior chemistry class, as well as being Dick Grayson, the ward of Bruce Wayne. I may be at the top of my class, but he very closely rivals me. I could have been in higher classes but I managed to convince my parents to let me do minimal work to continue with extracurriculars.

"I-it's fine, Dick. How about yours?" I whisper back, reaching for my eraser and accidentally brushing hands with him, I notice his hand spaz out of the corner of my eye.

"You shocked me." He laughs under his breath. "You've got some major static cling." He comments. I just fake a laugh. _I wish it was just static_.

"It's probably just the hair." I tell him, currently my mass of curly, frizzy, blonde hair is up in a tight bun. It's always the little white lies that get me through the day. The two of us continue in silence, doing our work. The whole time, I'm trying to relax. Being high strung and a person with my… _condition_… is never a good combination. The day goes on until I get to lunch. As I sit in the oddly pristine cafeteria, the people pass around me. I sit and eat my food as I do random things on my laptop. When I think no one is actually looking, I press my hand onto my laptop and begin searching around for files and projects I could be interested in. Usually I find abandoned projects, ones that had no hope of making it to testing stages. Those are the ones I copy the schematics of and remodel them to actually carry out their specific function. The hair on the back of my neck stands up and I remove my hand from the computer and actually type so I don't look suspicious.

"How are you doing that?" Dick asks as he sits down at my table, forcing me out of the comfortability of being alone. His redhead friend, Barbara, sits down next to him and looks at my screen for a plane that was planned to reach mach five without extreme g-force occurring on the inside cockpit.

"It was just going through abandoned projects, I find them interesting." I say quietly, putting my hands under the table in fear of exposing myself.

"It's cool." Barbara smiles at me. Dick just continues to stare at my screen.

"It's watermarked by start labs, how did you get these?" He asks with slight confusion. But for me, I have this weird pitfall in my gut that is telling me that he probably knows something.

"I-I have this thing where I get old, basically abandoned files from online and I honestly just study them. It's just a thing I do." I stay quiet, trying to dance around the fact that I found and made a copy of the file he is looking at, but telling my computer to take me to the secure server of Star Labs.

"That's really cool." Dick smiles, I still have the feeling that he is hiding something. I close my computer and continue eating. "Sorry about not asking earlier, but do you mind if we eat with you?" He asks. I nod.

"Yeah, it's fine." I give a little smile. The three of us just sit there, eating lunch and talking. Mainly the two of them are talking, I just comment here and there, avoiding speaking. When lunch is over, I get through the rest of my classes until I get to the last glass of the day: Gym. I get changed and enter the Gym designated for my class, the gymnastics class. I take this to basically warm myself up for actual gymnastics training after school. I stand with the rest of the girls who await the teacher's instructions for the day. The new girl comes in late. Bette said her name was Artemis. Interesting name for such a secretive person. The teacher stands up and tells us today it a free day. I wrap up my hands and go to the uneven bars. There, is where I spend the entire class. I do run after run until the final bell rings and I get changed and take a cab home. I enter the abnormally large brownstone, my mother is doing the same thing she does every day. I find her in the kitchen making me food for before my Gymnastics training.

"How was school?" She asks as she flips the sandwich in the frying pan, some cheese dripping into the pan.

"It was just like any other day. But at lunch, Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon sat next to me. It was weird, they were really interested in what I was doing with my computer." I tell her as I pull out my laptop, setting it on the table.

"Veronica Leigh Grey, You know you're not supposed to be doing that in public places." She presses as she takes the sandwich out of the pan and sets in on a plate. I put my hand on my laptop and let it read my mind for knowledge needed to do my homework. As far as math homework goes, it's still my handwriting so they just think I do it on a tablet.

"No one ever notices, I stick my back to the wall, so I don't know how someone finally decided to notice today." I tell my mother as she sets the plate in front of me with a glass of water. I start eating, as a junior, my mother's cooking is something I'm going to cherish and appreciate before I go away to college.

"Just stop doing it school, please. I know I can't stop you but something could happen if the wrong person found out what you can do." She says quietly. I just nod.

"Fine, I won't do it at school anymore if it makes you feel better." I smile at her as I continue to eat my sandwich with one hand while keeping the other on my computer in order to complete my homework. Lucky me, as soon as I finish eating, my laptop beeps, telling me my homework is finished. I remove my hand.

"It does, thank you sweetheart, now go change so I can drive you to the gym." She smiles. I get up and run upstairs to my room. If I had it my way, I would have redesigned and rewired my room so everything in the room could carry out basic functions by my command. But, my parents both agreed that everything in the house should be manual to hide my abilities from guests and visitors. But it never stops me from controlling the metal in the room. I put my hand out and focus on what I need for Gymnastics. Various drawers open, revealing various articles of clothing. I grab a blue leotard, a sports bra and a pair of black sweatpants and get dress, just sliding my feet into a pair of uggs. I make sure my bun is still tight before I grab my bag and head downstairs. My mother and I pull on our coats and go to the garage.

As we drive to the gym, I turn on the radio and just relax as we drive. By the time we get to the gym, the sun is beginning to set. My mother goes to sit in the observation room with the other parents as I drop my bag and warm up. I sit and stretch with music in my ears. But the relaxed moments Lily approaches me.

"Hey, Ronnie," she begins as she slides into her middle splits before me, "hows the Gotham Academy life?" Lily asks and she brushes a tendril of her dark brown hair from her face.

"It's pretty normal, still partnered with that genius freshman in chemistry. Still socially awkward." I tell her. It's easy to talk to her since we've been friends since we both started gymnastics when we were seven. The little tiny tots class.

"Well I think they would all think you're really cool if you actually let them get to know you." She comments as she bends one of her legs to hyperextend her hamstrings. I shift into my left split and lean back to stretch out my right hip flexor.

"Yes but you know I struggle in that department." I tell her as she lays on her stomach and brings her feet past her head to touch the floor in front of her face. "What kind of stretch is that?" I laugh at her.

"It's not, I'm just bored." She jokes. "But seriously, I could help you get better socially." She smiles, still lightly laughing about her position she's put herself in. I give her a look.

"I don't know how you're going to pull that off, but I may or may not like to see you try." I give her a little smirk. I don't think she can pull it off and I don't even think there is much to work with. I'm a basket case when it comes to people.

"Well, you already have the clothes for outside of school, you have the long, curly blond hair, and you have the personality. We just have to push you out of your comfort zone, get you into the groove of being around other people." She smiles, hoping she'll actually get to do this. "And a little makeup and some anti frizz hair products and you'll seem more approachable and easy going. And we need to get you to relax and be a little looser in order to actually handle the social pressures of actually having to keep up with friends that haven't known you since the tiny tot days." She grins from ear to ear. I don't know if I actually want to let her do this.

"Sounds like a pretty interesting plan. It could work, but now I don't know if I should let you." I laugh, moving to my right split and laying back to stretch out my left hip flexor.

"I honestly think it would be awesome to reinvent you. Leave all the good things about you, and just fine tune your faults, such as being socially awkward, high strung, and quiet. You're afraid of what other's think of you, so I think you should let go and just do what makes you happy. That way people will see you as carefree and easygoing.

"You really want to do this now, don't you?" I raise an eyebrow, still skeptical about this. She just nods like a five year old.

"If you go and talk to the most popular girl in your grade without freaking out or embarrassing yourself, then you don't have to do any of this, but if you can't, then I get to go through with the plan. Deal?" She asks as she sits normally and starts stretching her arms.

"Fine, challenge accepted." I smirk at her and I sit criss cross, stretching my arms with her as well.

"You're actually going to do it?" She has a smile from ear to ear, making me slightly uneasy. I have to hold myself together, taking deep breaths to not expose anything. The most visible thing I have to worry about are the sparks and electrical currents that leap between my fingers and run across my skin.

"I'll do it if it gets you off my back about being socially awkward." I promise her. "But if I don't go through with it, you can go on ahead with your plan, okay?" I tell her, hoping she will drop the subject of conversation this time.

"Yay!" She squeals as I stand up.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get the rings over with before coach gets mad." I half laugh as I walk over the dangling rings. I leap up and grab hold, practicing flips and swings, even holding myself in place. I lower my body to be completely parallel to the ground. After a few seconds of holding, I lift up and swing, dismounting in a full, but my landing is rough. I land with my ankle bent at a bad angle. I hear the snap and the pain floods through me but I just go and walk it off before anyone notices. The pain dulls and my ankle snaps back into place as my cells get to work to put me back together. I researched everything about this kind of thing, and it's like a salamander. I regenerate. After shaking it out, I go through the rest of the gymnastics practice for the next few hours before the coaches tell us to wrap up and get going. I find my bag and pull my sweat pants and coat back on. I find my mom and get going. In the car, she begins talking.

"I saw your landing, you should be more careful. Especially if you compete nationally and someone notices you walking away from an injury like that on national television." She gives me a look as we walk to the car.

"I know, it was an accident, won't happen again." I promise as we get into the gar and drive away from the gym.

"Do you want Wendy's? Cause we have time before your father gets home." She smiles. I nod vigorously and we head to the nearest drive through. My dad doesn't think athletes should eat fast food or anything with that much grease for that matter. He barely lets me get ice cream with my cake on my birthday. But every now and again when Dad works late, she takes me to get something as greasy and delicious as a fast food burger with fries on the side. After getting the food from Wendy's, I dig right in. My mom laughs.

"What?" I ask with a mouth full of french fries.

"I swear, this is like crack to you." She can't contain her laughter as we drive home. I manage to stuff my face with food so well, that I finish before the car even pulls into the driveway. We stop at the neighbor's garbage can and dump the evidence of my indulgence. Back at the house, my dad arrives the same time as us.

"Hi, dad." I give him a smile as the three of us get out of the two cars.

"Hello, Veronica." He gives me a small smile with the greeting before he goes inside. My mother sighs and the two of us go inside. I go up and take a shower as my mother and father start making dinner. It honestly doesn't matter that I just ate, because it's going to take and hour and half for them to finish making whatever they ended up agreeing on making. High metabolisms make it easy. When finished with my shower, I let my hair stay free as it dries. The curls slowly rising as they dry. I just pull on a simple pair of cotton shorts and a tank top for my pajamas tonight. As soon as I smell the cooking, I just flop on my bed and pull out my laptop, continueing my activities from before. Going through old, abandoned files of projects. Some of these things could really benefit mankind if they ever made it past prototype stage, but sadly they haven't. But something catches my eye. I didn't even mean to find it, but I did.

Wayne Tech has come across many interesting projects that suddenly 'failed' during testing, or were deemed too dangerous, so the projects were shut down. All of it, resistant fabrics and armour, extreme weapons, adapted performance transportation, advanced software that could either protect the world from greater threats, or become a threat itself. All of the remaining data was transferred to the R&amp;D and Applied Sciences departments of Wayne Enterprises. Why take it from Tech to Enterprises when all of it is multiple parts of the same company? But before I can continue investigating, my parents call me to dinner.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's note**_: **to clarify, Ronnie is Electrokinetic, Regenerative, Magnekinetic (magnetic manipulation), and Technokinetic. **

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Gotham Academy**

**October 14, 2010**

I sit in the Chemistry classroom, bored out of my mind, watching Mrs. Reed show us different mixtures, some with precipitation, some without. The most annoying thing is that she's making mixture after mixture and I am having trouble staying awake for this class. I peer out of the corner of my eye to see Dick just as bored as I am. He lets out a heavy sigh and sets his chin on the lab table, the black top of it fogging with each and every one of his breaths. But things get slightly interesting when one of the mixtures begin to bubble. Mrs. Reed puts the breaker down in surprise. I'm guessing this wasn't supposed to happen. There have been three instances so far where the mixtures have reacted.

"Who tampered with the chemicals?" Mrs. Reed barks, her safety goggles fogging up with anger. No one says anything until Dick opens his mouth, pointing at the beaker.

"The breaker is bre-" Is all he can get out before everyone jumps under their tables as the beaker explodes. Under the table, I notice my hands flickering with energy. I close my eyes and take deep breaths the calm myself down. Soon, it goes away and I open my eyes, only to see Dick standing up and peering over the table.

"What does it look like up there?" I ask him, he smiles wide.

"Come see for yourself." He puts his hand out to me and I take it. He helps me us and I see what looks like the best thing to happen all day.

"It looks like a pepto bismol exploded." I can't help but laugh. The walls and tables are splattered with a pink substance. Mrs. Reed comes up from below her desk, the substance just barely missed her, only slightly frosting the safety goggles. I see other students looking around and trying to hold back their laughter.

"When I find out who did this, they are going straight to the Dean!" She yells and everyone falls silent. "Unless you want to come clean now, then a less severe punishment will be given." She calms down. After a few minutes, an unlikely boy raises his hand.

"Maybe you just misread the containers?" He asks. Mrs. Reed looks through all of the chemicals she pulled out for todays lesson, then freezes, her face growing redder by the second.

"Class dismissed!" She shouts and we all grab our stuff from below out stations and hurry out the door before she yells at us again. As soon as I go out the door, I bump right into Bette and the new girl, Artemis.

"Sorry, should've watched where I was going." I apologize, but Bette just shakes off.

"No harm, no foul." She tells me with a smile on her face. "Hey, you're Veronica from our gym class." She recognizes me.

"Y-yeah. You can just call me Ronnie." I force out. Lily was right, I need to get out of my comfort zone.

"Cool, you're really good at gymnastics, do you do it outside of school?" she asks. I feel like she's just taking pity on me, but maybe she actually is this nice. I look at Artemis, she seems genuinely curious about me.

"Yeah, I-I go to the Gotham Allstar gym across town." I tell her, slightly smiling.

"That's so cool. Well, I'll see you later, Artemis and I have to get back to class." She tells me. The two of them actually seem kind of nice. Well, Bette does. I don't really know about Artemis. She might just be slightly awkward like me since she is the new girl this year. Either way, it doesn't matter. I managed to talk to Bette so Lily doesn't get to do the makeover. I guess all it took was me running into her. But, the bell rings and I have to get to my English class. This is the one class I actually put manual labor into. My computer isn't creative, so I actually have to write my papers and poems for this class. But the reading parts are all the same from my other classes. I just put my hand on my computer and let my brain memorize what I'm pulling from my laptop. But the day goes on and I find myself back at the same table as I do everyday, my back to the wall. But I did promise my mom I wouldn't be my technopathic self at school anymore, so all I do is go on Imgur. I'm going through the front page images when Dick and Barbara find me and sit down again. They've been sitting with me all week, maybe today is the day I try and participate.

"So how has your day been?" Barbara asks me. I look up and decide to actually make conversation, but it's still slightly hard to find my words.

"M-mrs. Reed read the chemical wrong i-in my science class. One exploded and painted the room pink." I tell her and she laughs.

"Yeah, Dick told me about it. He said the lights were flickering when he went up to look around." She says. I feel my stomach drop.

"T-the lights were f-flickering?" I manage to get out. If I was drawing power from the school's lines, it could have been a lot worse than it actually was.

"Yeah, but probably from the chemicals getting into the lights and the outlets." Dick says quickly, most likely to be sympathetic after picking up from my nervous expressing. I relax a bit.

"It's probably just that." I breathe. After a few minutes, I Bette and Artemis decide to come over to our table with their food. Maybe they want to be here because all the other tables are full?

"Do you mind if we sit here?" She asks. Dick and Barbara look to me. It feels weird but I guess it's because I was here first? I nod and the two sit down, Artemis next to me and Bette across from her. Soon, a few of Bette's friends sit down with her. Soon the table is full and I'm starting to get uncomfortable. Dick and Barbara stand up with their trays.

"Well, we are going to the Library." Barbara tells me.

"See you later, Ronnie." Dick calls as they walk away. I'm alone with all of these girls and I barely know them.

"Ugh, I thought the freshmen would never leave." Bette groans. I feel my eyebrows knit in aggravation.

"Something wrong?" The girl next to her asks. I sigh a mentally prepare myself to speak in front of all of them.

"T-they're just freshmen. We all used t-to be them, and some of us not too long ago. They aren't some social pariah." I try to say as calmly as possible, but it comes out slightly rushed and urgent. The last person I expected opens her mouth next.

"Ronnie is right, I'm only a sophomore and so are you Bette." Artemis says cooly. I don't understand how she can be so nonchalant about saying that to the rest of the girls. Artemis smiles at me. "Besides, freshmen are intimidated by us enough already."

"Fine, I get it." Bette says with a smirk. I hope she actually understands, I would hate to see her complain about my friends. Well, I think they're my friends. They sit next to me at lunch and are nice to me, so yeah, I guess they are my friends.

The rest of the day goes on with normal classes and run ins with the girls. One of them said it was pretty awesome what I said before. She said she wished upperclassmen were like that when she was a freshman. I'm just a junior, how hard could it be for someone in my grade or above to just be nice to someone younger than them? When I make it to gym, Bette and Artemis greet me by the balance beam. Artemis more than Bette, probably from the events during lunch.

"So do you compete and stuff?" Artemis asks as I'm stretching on the beam, doing splits and hand stands to get my back and legs stretched out.

"Yeah." I get out as I lower myself in my hand stand to test my arms before trying anything else.

"What's the highest you've placed?" Bette asks in curiosity as I stand up and get ready to do an aerial.

"This year I got gold regionals and Nationals." I say simply just before leaping into a back tuck.

"That's amazing." Artemis smiles as the gets onto the beam next to mine. She does a back walkover into the splits. I go to the end of the beam and prepare for a dismount.

"Yeah, my dad wants me to keep it up through college and work towards getting a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. But I don't know." I tell her. I feel like I'm talking to Lily. I guess talking during Gymnastics helps me.

"That's insane." Bette comments as I take three strides to the end of the beam and dismount in a full.

"It would be pretty cool." Artemis laughs as she does a branny. She poses like Superman. "Just think about it, standing at the top of the podium and getting your medal. All eyes on you." She poses like an over dramatic woman swooning. Bette giggles.

"Being acknowledged as the best at the World level would feel amazing." Bette smiles as she does a one handed cartwheel on the beam. I release a slight chuckle.

"Personally, I don't think anyone will be the best until Robin stops being a hero." Artemis says borderline quietly. Bett stops in her track.

"You've seen Boy Wonder?!" I ask her in excitement. He's one of the world's proteges and I find him the most inspiring. Probably because he saves the most crime ridden city, every night. It's amazing.

"Yeah, a few times." Artemis smirks. "He is probably the most graceful acrobat. I saw him go across the roof of my building without making a sound, then continuing on to flip and leap from roof top to roof top. It was pretty amazing." She tells us. I can't help but think about what that must have looked like. Bette dismounts the beam and I climb back up. Inspired to try something.

"Do you know how amazing it is that you've seen Robin?" Bette comments and I do an aerial, trying to create a silent landing. The muscles in my legs burn slightly, but I manage to only make a short pitter patter of my feel landing on the beam. I smile to myself in accomplishment.

"I think it's pretty cool, but it was very fleeting so I'm fine with it." She shrugs, but I see something else in her eyes. Like she knows something that we don't and it's almost funny to her. But I let it go when the gym teacher blows her whistle and we all exit the gym. I get changed back into my uniform and go to my locker. I pack up my stuff and grab a taxi. I head home, but once inside my house, I don't find my mother in the kitchen like I do every day after school.

"Mom?" I call into the near silent house. I get worried for a moment, until I hear her answer me.

"I'm in the office, there is someone on the phone for you!" She calls to me, slightly excited. I go into the office and find her on the phone. "Here she is." My mother says into the phone just before she hands the phone to me. I reluctantly take it.

"Hello?" I ask, curious but slightly nervous about what this is all about.

"Hello, Ms. Grey, this is Lucius Fox of Wayne Enterprises. Every year, Mr. Wayne and keep an eye out for some of the brightest mind. After we found out about your successful projects and experiments from Gotham Academy. We would like to offer you a place in the high school program at Wayne Tech." He says to me. I think i'm going to pass out.

"M-May I ask about t-the details of the program?" I try to get out without sounding stupid. I don't think I'm very successful.

"You would continue the school year at Wayne Tech, it being an independent study of Engineering, Applied Sciences, and Energy. Same hours as a normal school day and you have full access to our facilities. You will be able to attend conferences and trips abroad and you will be graded upon performance in the lab." He puts it simply. I'm at a loss for words. "Ms. Grey?" He asks after a minute of silence.

"Yes, sorry. I would love to accept the offer, but I have to talk to my parents about it." I tell him. I hear a slight laugh on his end.

"You are still a minor so it is necessary you do that, Ms. Grey. We will be awaiting your call. Have a good day now, Ms." He tells me, I can almost hear his smile.

"You too, Mr. Fox." I tell him before hanging up the phone. I look at my mother, nearly squealing. In the back of my mind, I'm remembering all of the projects Wayne Enterprises has shut down and or bought from other companies. This could be my chance to get close enough to actually figure out what happened to all of those projects.

"Mom." I grab her shoulders. "I have to do this." I tells her, looking at her right in the eyes and grinning from ear to ear. She gets a look.

"Can you do it without exposing your abilities?" She asks, raising an eyebrow. I nod.

"I definitely can. I bet I could learn better control over it as well." I promise, getting super excited. She thinks about it for a minute.

"Fine, bu-" I cut her off with my excited squealing. She puts her finger to my mouth and I stop. "But, you have to convince your father." She looks at me.

"Oh come on! He'll say no and then I can't do it!" I yell in protest. My mother just sighs.

"Just make sure it's clear that it won't interfere with your gymnastics. He might consider it then." She reminds me. That could be it.

"Fine. I'll talk to him at dinner." I tell her. I go into the kitchen and grab a protein bar before going upstairs to change for gymnastics. I get changed and make sure my bun is secure like I do every day. I grab my laptop and put it in my bag, heading downstairs to find my my mother in the garage, starting the car. When I get to gymnastics, I drop everything and run at Lily, squealing like a little girl.

"What happened that's gotten you into a good mood?" She laughs as I flop down next to her, stretching with her.

"I have been offered a spot in the High School program and Wayne Tech!" I tell her with all of my excitement pouring out in my voice. She smiles.

"That's amazing! Yet I don't know how that happened since you aren't in advance classes." She comments. That is somethings slightly confusing me as well.

"I don't care! They scouted me, Lily. They found _me_. This isn't something I can just turn down." I grin at her.

"It is pretty amazing." She tells me as I we stretch. The rest of the time I spend in the gym is on the uneven bars, being critiqued by my coaches. By the time I finally get home, I manage to take shower before my parents finish making dinner. When I finally sit down at the table for dinner, we are all sitting in silence as we begin to eat.

"Ronnie has something to show you, Robert." My mother says suddenly. I realize this is where I actually have to tell me dad. My dad looks to me, probably hoping I didn't do something bad.

"Yeah, actually, I was offered a place in the program at Wayne Tech for High School Students." I tell him nervously, but managing not to stutter or have a loss of words. My dad's face is difficult to read, whether he is angry or happy.

"What exactly do you do in this program?" He asks me in a calm, but slightly confused voice.

"I continue my school year at Wayne Tech, working in their labs in the fields of Engineering, Applied Sciences, and Energy." I tell him, remembering I need to add something. "And it is specifically during school hours with a few trips to conferences and things, so I can still keep up gymnastics." I tell him, hoping he doesn't yell or tell me it isn't for the better of my future. This is the one thing I could do as a high school teenager that could start the beginning of my longed for career in science.

"I'm sorry, Ronnie. But that kind of work can still interfere with and distract you from your goal of becoming an Olympic gold medalist." He says simply as he goes back to eating his dinner.

"What did you just say?" I snap at my dad. He looks at me, holding his stance on the matter. "You mean _your_ goal?" I nearly shout at him, he begins to get angry.

"It's not my goal, it's your's! I'm just pushing you to make sure you stay on track!" He yells at me, just increasing my infuriation.

"I was five when I said that! I'm almost seventeen, when are you gonna let me make my own goddamn choices?!" I scream at him, slamming my hands on the table as I stand up to be above him. He looks at my hands, his expression changing. My mother looking at me in fear.

"Veronica Leigh Grey, you need to calm down this instant." He looks from my hands to my eyes.

"I won't calm down until you let me make my own choices! I'm done letting you use me to live your dream of being a gold medalist! I love gymnastics but this program could be my gateway to an actual career I want, let me do this." I argue, fighting so hard to get what I want for once. But my father gets up from his seat and approaches me. The height difference making it the more difficult.

"You will not disobey me! You live in my house, you follow my rules and you will do as I say!" My dad yells at me. I can literally feel my heart elevating.

"Then I could just leave! Having the ability to control technology would be pretty damn handy in the real world!" I go to walk away, but my father grabs my arm to stop me.

"I am your parent and you are a minor, as soon as you walk out that door, I will call the police to drag you right back home." He tries to force me into submission with every threat he can dispense.

"I'll just cancel it. All I have to do is be in proximity to an electronic." I say in a low voice as I rip my arm from his grasp. My mother stands up this time.

"Enough! Ronnie, you are accepting the program. Robert, you are just going to have to deal with it." She orders. My father is seething with rage. I could scare him, make a show of my abilities, or I could leave, but all I'm going to do it go to my room. I run up the stairs as my parents begin to bicker. I lock my bedroom door behind me and begin my homework, mentally preparing myself for calling Mr. Fox to inform him of my decision.


	3. Chapter 3

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Gotham Academy**

**Friday, October 15, 2010**

The one time I ever wake up late, I just have to end up with only just enough time to brush my teeth and put on my uniform. In the car on the way to school, I'm rushing to finish breakfast sandwich. Let's just hope no one notices me today. My hair is down and I call it my mane for a reason. But I guess I'm not getting what I want today because everyone is staring at me. When I sit down in my math class, Dick looks at me from across the room and decides to come over before class starts.

"You know, I didn't believe you when you told me how curly your hair was." He comments as he leans against the desk next to mine.

"I didn't have time to put it up this morning." I tell him with a slightly bitter tone. Putting my hair up is hard work considering the length as well as the massive curls.

"No, it looks good down." He smiles, probably just to make me feel better about having it out and free. I just continue through the day, thinking of nothing but the fight I had with my father. I'm worried how the effects may carry on through the next few weeks. He might just be disdainful against the program as I begin participation. When I get to lunch, I sit at my normal table, just like every other day. Just as they did yesterday, Bette, Artemis, and the girls all sit down at the table. Dick and Barbara just say hi before the table gets too crowded. I liked sitting with them, it was nice and calm. But with the girls, lunch was a gossip session. So far, the girls like my hair all wild.

"I mean the bun was nice, but your hair is awesome! I don't know why you always keep it pulled back." One of the girls comments.

"Thank you." I smile before staring back down at my food. As much as the girl want to gossip, I just want to eat. After a while, someone pulls me into the conversation.

"What do you think, Ronnie?" Bette asks me, I guess I wasn't paying attention.

"About what?" I ask sheepishly. Some of the other girls laugh slightly.

"What do you think about how Nathan tried to hook up with Olivia while he was dating Chloe?" She asks me. I shrug.

"Well, it's a question I'm not really experienced enough to answer. I've never dated before, but I do think he is an idiot for trying that." I tell them. Artemis smiles.

"I like that you don't pounce on the opportunity to gossip with everyone else." She tells me, I just smile. But I remember that I have to leave them. When I finally find a group of friends at school, I end up getting an opportunity that I can't refuse.

"You look down, Ronnie." Bette looks right at me, almost like she can see right through me.

"I'm fine," I begin, "just a little bummed that I'm leaving Gotham Academy." I put it plainly as I continue to eat. Some of the girls get curious.

"Why would you leave the best school in the city?" One ask, a gleam in her eye like she wants it to all be for a dramatic reason.

"I'm going to Wayne Tech. I got a call about a spot in one of their High School programs yesterday, and I'm accepting later today." I tell them, hoping no one tries to put a twist on this for their other gossip circles. I really hate rumors.

"I didn't know you were that smart, that's amazing." Bette tells me. "When do you leave?" She asks. I feel weird like I'm at the center of attention. It was different in gym yesterday, it was just two other people, but I have the eyes of the entire table on me.

"I don't know, I find out this afternoon." I inform them, hoping this is the end of the conversation.

"Well you better tell us when you leave!" One of the girls exclaims. I don't understand why some of them care so much when I only started _hanging out _with them yesterday. It's weird and it's bothering me. The bell for class rings.

"I will," I say with a smile, "I'll see you guys later." I give a tiny wave before I rush off to class. I didn't really enjoy the fact that they were also curious. The rest of the day come to an end when I end up in gym class. I isolate myself to the uneven bars while the other girls stick to the beams like they do every day. But at some point, Artemis finds her way over to me.

"Ronnie?" She asks as soon as I change directions on the high bar. I wait until I make it back up to the top to dismount in a quick double tuck.

"What's up?" I ask with an eyebrow raised.

"I could see you were uncomfortable earlier. Just wanted to tell you that I don't like when they do that either." She tells me. She knows exactly what was bothering me. The phony feeling of genuine kindness and attention.

"Did they do that to you when you were new?" I ask her. She nods simply.

"It doesn't feel right, experiencing it, and I think it's just how they rope people into their group." She says with the same uncomfortable facial expression that I have on myself at times.

"Would make sense if that's why they do it." I shrug. The two of us walk over the trampolines.

"Yeah, but at least you're going to get to go do your own thing at Wayne Tech." She smiles as we step onto the trampolines.

"Hopefully, yeah. I'm just excited to get to be in my own lab." I tell her as the two of us bounce to gain height.

"I still find that so cool, we're still going to be going through the high school life while your building and testing things that could change the world." She gets out as she jumps into a back tuck.

"So you're familiar with the work of Wayne Enterprises?" I laugh just before I get enough height to do another double tuck like earlier.

"Yes, and you're going to get to be a part of that." she smiles as she jumps. We continue on with class like that, jumping and doing flips on the trampolines. When class is over and we are heading back to the girls locker room, I get the courage to ask something for the first time.

"Hey, Artemis?" I get her attention as we enter the locker room.

"Yeah?" She asks as we find out lockers, ours happen to be in the same section.

"Do you wanna hang out tomorrow? We could get coffee or go shopping or something, if you want." I offer, hoping I might actually find a real friend with her unlike the others. She seems to mull it over for a bit.

"Sure, but I have to be somewhere by 5, so we can hang out earlier in the day." She smiles. I'm curious as to where she has to be tomorrow, but it's probably none of my business. We all begin to change and head back to our lockers to pack up and go home.

"So tomorrow," I start as we walk, "we can meet at my house, yours, or even the Crystal Palace mall?" I say as she stops at her locker. I realize mine is six down from hers.

"We can meet at the mall inside the front entrance." She smiles as she pulls out her phone. She has me tell her my number and she texts me so I have hers. We part ways and I head home. When I get there, my mother is in the kitchen, just like any other day… well... _besides_ yesterday. I go and grab the phone in the office, going through the caller I.D history to find Mr. Fox's number. After the first ring, I'm optimistic… Second ring, still in a good place… Third ring, slightly worried… Fourth Ring, I'm losing faith but before it can ring again, the line picks up.

"Lucius Fox's office, Laura Taylor speaking." A woman answers. I'm guessing she is his assistant or something.

"Hi, this is Ms. Grey, may I speak to Mr. Fox?" I ask, anticipating the upcoming conversation.

"Yes, may I ask what this is pertaining to?" She asks, I notice the higher pitch in her voice. Now I'm curious, so I focus and feel like I'm traveling through the phone line.

"The Wayne Tech Program, I'm one of the one's offered a place in it." I tell her, honing in on the other end of the line. It's like seeing echolocation with the pulses of electricity being sent out. The woman is sitting at a desk outside a door and past that door is a man at a desk that I'm assuming is Lucius Fox.

"I'll direct your call to him, one moment." She says with a tone sounding like she's smiling. I pull my consciousness out of the electrical wiring and let go.

"Ms. Grey?" I hear suddenly, it's Mr. Fox.

"Yeah, hi. I've called to accept the offer for the program." I say simply into the phone.

"Well, I'm pleased to hear that and am glad to tell you that your first day is Monday." Mr. Fox informs me. Before I can say anything, he says something else. "And on Sunday, Mr. Wayne and I would like to meet you in person, so if you would please come to Wayne Tower at noon on Sunday, that would be lovely." He states. I feel dumbfounded.

"Uh… Yes, sir. I'll be there, thank you." I can't believe they want to meet me, I mean I knew I would meet them at some point but this is insane.

"Good, see you then. Have a good day, Ms. Grey." He says with a nice town that fuels my amazement.

"You too, Mr. Fox." I say as I hang up the phone. I go to the kitchen where my mother is and sit down at the table. The routine continues. I eat a snack my mother made, I go upstairs and change into my leo and some sweatpants, putting my hair into a super tight bun. I leave to go to gymnastics, ready to tell Lily about my oh-so-interesting adventures of my friday.


	4. Chapter 4

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Crystal Palace Mall, Gotham**

**Saturday, October 16, 2010**

Artemis and I are sitting at one of the tables in the dramatically large food court. We've been here for an hour and it's been pretty nice, we've gone into two stores and it seems the both of us are into going to bad stores and making fun of the slutty clothing. We now sit here, drinking slushies and people watching.

"Ooh, six o'clock. There is a mohawk holding hands with a mullet." She says in an amused tone but a straight face so as not to draw attention. I slowly peek around and it's not what I expected.

"You'd think from what you told me, it would be a gay couple or a girl with a mohawk." I laugh, "but a girl with a mullet is too much." I cover my mouth, trying to quiet my laugh.

"I know right." She grins, looking down as she takes a sip from her slushie. I spot something.

"Your four o'clock. Creeper by the carousel." I tell her, staring at the guy with the backpack over by all the kids. Our table only a couple feet away from the little area.

"I think he's gonna have a panic attack." Artemis comments with slight interest in the man. I can see the glistening perspiration on his face from here and the heavy breathing. She may be right, he seems off.

"I wonder what is making him so nervous." I comment as I stare. I feel like everything slows down around me, my sight centered on the nervous wreck of a man as he pulls something out of his back pack. In a split second, I recognize it as a homemade bomb, a sizeable amount of explosives rigged to an extremely unorganized control panel. Blast radius, not too large but we are still in it. The man looks me dead in the eye as I see him reach for the switch. My immediate instinct caused me to flip the table and grab Artemis, pulling her in front of me so my back is to the bomb. It goes off with a deafening sound. Within seconds I feel the heat on my back, but I hold onto Artemis for dear life, protecting her from the blast. Everything speeds back up as the heat ceases and I let go of her, my body falling next to her.

"Ronnie! Are you o-" She begins to say, but I'm sure she's seeing the burns disappear without a trace. I push myself up from the floor and face her with worry in my eyes.

"Please don't tell anyone." I beg her and I assess her for any injuries that may have gotten past my attempt at protection. Her clothes and the tip of her ponytail is signed, but other than that, she's absolutely fine.

"I won't." She is breathing heavily and her eyes wide. "You just saved my life." She tells me as she watches as my burning hair goes back to normal, even the length, which I wasn't expecting. My jeans are signed and there are large holes in the back of my shirt, the fabric of my shirt as well as the back of my bra is smoldering.

"He was looking right at me as he reached for the switch. He made actual eye contact." I whisper, seemingly to myself but Artemis's behavior suggests she heard me. I focus on the situation at he and and realize a problem. "I'm glad you're alive but I have to get out of here, too far into the blast radius and no burns on me. Too many questions." I tell her, freaking out. This is not how I want my secret to be exposed.

"Run to the bathroom. Don't open the door for anyone. I'll be back with fresh clothes and a bag for the burned ones. Assuming you're my size, you'll look like you missed the explosion." She orders in the midst of my panicking.

"Okay." I get out as I scramble to my feet and run to the bathroom. I find one of the handicapped stalls and hide inside. I feel like I'm in there for far too long when Artemis returns, but it's only been a few minutes.

"Ronnie?" She calls and I stick my foot out under the door. She finds me and throws the clothes over the door. I get changed and emerge in a fresh pair of jeans and a button down.

"You have no idea how grateful I am right now." I tell her as I go to a sink and scrub the ash off my hands and face, even washing it out of my hair.

"You just saved my life, it's the least I can do." She tells me, but she grabs my arm and drags me out of the bathroom. "We have someone to talk to right now." She says as she drags me to an authorized persons only hallway. This is insane, she is crazy.

"This is crazy!" I yell as she stops us in a far corner. The alarm from us opening the door without and access code blaring in my ears. "If this doesn't stop I'm going to have a panic attack." I growl as I slap my hand onto the wall and command the alarm to shut off. "So much better." I sigh as I slide down the wall, sitting on the floor.

"How did you do that?" She asks. "And how did you heal back there?" She asks in a demanding voice.

"To my knowledge, I classify as a Technopath. It's a meta gene. My regeneration is also another metagene of mine." I say as I close my eyes and try to relax, trying not to release any electricity. But I do feel metal pulling toward me slightly.

"Artemis, are you alright?" Someone asks in a deep, gruff voice. I open my eyes to see the one and only, Batman. I'm in awe.

"Where's Robin? He can't find out my identity." Artemis stresses toward the brooding hero.

"I ordered him to go question bystanders and work with the police. Are you alright?" he repeats.

"Yeah, we both are. Ronnie over here pulled me in front of her and made herself a human shield." She says to the Bat, showing him the burned clothes in the bag like proof. "I freaked out at first but she regenerated, Batman." She informs him in an informal version of a debriefing.

"Artemis! Who are you?!" I yell in frustration and confusion. Normal people don't have connections to the Batman. They both look at me.

"I'm Artemis Crock, but in Star City, I'm Green Arrow's sidekick." She tells me, her voice making me realize that this might absurd but it's still true. I bet my mouth is gaping, but I can't focus right now and the shock is affecting me negatively. Sparks fly from my hands and my vision lights up around the rims. The two heroes watch me as I take a deep breath and hold it back, everything disappears.

"I thought you were a technopath!" Artemis exclaimes. Batman just looks at me.

"I am. I have four metagenes." I tell her, she backs off. "Regeneration, Electrokinesis, Technokinesis, and Magnetic Manipulation." I say as I finally come to grips with reality. Batman gets something from the communicator in his ear and looks right at me. He puts his back between me and Artemis. I can make out whispering, but I have no idea what they're saying. Before I know it, someone is sticking me with a sedative. The next thing I know, I'm in my bed. At first I think the whole ordeal was just a dream, but I look down to see the clothes Artemis found for me when mine burned. I slowly get out of my bed as to not make any noise. There is something going on downstairs, I can hear muffled voices. I walk as silently as I can out of my room and into the hall. I start down the stairs and peek to the living room from the top only to see a bunch of heroes in my living room. I lose the stealth and go to face them all.

"What the hell are you doing in my house?" I ask all of them in an angry and confused tone. I recognize Kid Flash, Robin, Aqualad and three others she didn't recognize. One with a superman symbol on his black t-shirt, a green girl with the same red x on her torso as Martian Manhunter, and a blonde with a uniform that makes you think she has a Green Arrow fixation. _Artemis_. They all face me and Artemis approaches me.

"We had to get you home and under protection. The drugging was not my idea." She tells me. I run one hand through my wild hair, processing what she just said.

"Why do I need protection?" I ask her while staring at all of the other heroes, the green girl is confusing and it's overwhelming to have all of them in my living room.

"The bomber had information on a phone in his back pocket. There were photos and personal information on it. It was all about you." She tells me, I'm taken aback.

"So a bunch of people burned because someone wanted to attack me?" I ask. No one really answers me, so I just go to the kitchen and start getting food. I pull sweets, chips, crackers, sauces, dips, everything from the pantry and the cabinets.

"What are you doing?" One of the males ask me. I sigh as I start snacking while making a big, fat, sandwich.

"It just so happens, I stress eat." I snap, slathering mayonnaise on the bread of my sandwhich. They all just stare at me. "What, do you want some?" I ask, pulling little rolls of ham in my sandwhich whilst handlessly eating a fruit roll up. Kid Flash grins.

"Don't mind if I do." the speedster smiles as he makes a plate of nachos. I see Robin smack the back of Kid Flash's head.

"Be respectful, KF. We're on the job right now." The boy wonder says in a voice I find all too familiar. _Where have I heard that voice before?_

"Robin is right, Kid, we are here to protect Veronica, not eat her out of house and home." Aqualad says to Kid Flash in a commanding tone. Artemis is just off to the side, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Hey, she offered." the speedster shrugs. "Besides, I have to eat when I can to be prepared, I burn quite a lot of calories running a few MPH shy of the speed of sound." He defends as he sticks the plate of chips and cheese into the microwave. He's got a point.

"Yeah, it's fine." I tell the Atlantean. He gives me a slight smile and stands down. After a while, I don't really know what to do with myself. I'm just sitting at the table in the kitchen, staring at my empty plate. Robin comes up and sits down at the adjacent chair.

"You seem to be holding up better than most would." He says as I look up to face him. _That voice_.

"Well, I happen to be good with weird." I mumble slightly, observing his face in extreme detail, trying to figure out where I've heard that voice before. I feel like the messy hair is throwing me off. The voice reminds me of a certain someone with hair usually slicked back, and the most insane blue eyes. Well, insane for a normal human being. Mine happen to be borderline abnormal.

"That's always good if you end up in our line of work." He says calmly and I can't help but get a confused look on my face.

"If I end up in your line of work? As if anyone would want me saving them if people are blowing up malls to attack me." I mumble as I get up and take my plate to the sink.

"But if you are seen as a trained hero and there is a separate identity to be associated with your abilities, the less people will try to attack you in the open if they think you are a trained hero." He tries to make it seem appealing, and as soon as he finished his statement, I figure out where I've heard that voice before. But I'm probably wrong. He couldn't be parading around as a vigilante… But he comes to school with injuries along with absurd excuses of how he got them. I get an idea.

"I don't think I'd be a very good hero, Dick. I'm not the most heroic or the most exceptional." I slipped what might be his name into the sentence and he falters.

"How did you know?" He comes over to me and whispers, trying to keep this from the others.

"You can't be my lab partner and in my math class everyday for two months and think I'm not going notice it's you when you put on a mask and come in my house." I laugh quietly, going to the pantry to pull out a protein bar.

"I guess I thought I could since usually people just see me, they don't get to spend time with me unless it's during interrogation." He smiles. It's weird seeing him with the mask.

"Well I think it's crazy that I've been going to school with the Batman's protege." I joke, raising an eyebrow and taking a bite of the protein bar. He laughs. "So why are you all here together?" I ask, referring to the other five sidekicks in my living room.

"Long story short, our mentors were treating us like sidekicks instead of partners, like kids. So we struck out on our own. Aqualad, Kid Flash, and I found Superboy at Cadmus, causing the League to get mad at us for hacking League systems and such. We told them we would be doing it again, so they gave us the option to become a covert ops team for the League. Miss Martian came and joined a little after the Team was formed. Artemis came a few weeks after Miss M." He explains. It's pretty ironic, the League sending kids to do their dirty work.

"That's pretty interesting." I comment, taking another bite of the protein bar.

"You know, you really could work with us. I could pull a few strings to get you trained and ready for field work stuff." He offers, but I just shrug.

"I think I'd be pretty handy as a hacker since there is quite literally nothing I can't get into." I joke, but he keeps his slightly serious face.

"I noticed that when you were getting Star Labs files without even trying that day at lunch." He gains a certain smugness as he speaks.

"So you did see, I was worried that you might have but I just shrugged it off." I laugh. I must have been a little to cocky at school for not being noticed for so long.

"I also saw you get super charged under the table after that beaker exploded in Chemistry." He smiles.

"So, what do you think? I could be a great hero or am I a work in progress?" I ask playfully, genuinely curious what I could be like. I honestly don't know If I want to be a hero. Personally, I think I could make a better difference in the world by making technology to better mankind.

"Mostly a pretty good beginner hero, but you should get a handle on the electricity." He says was an honest expression. I get it, I struggle with that the most. I don't know if I want to be a hero, not even what I would be called, let alone if I could actually go out there and save lives. Eventually, Robin and I end up back in the living room. I gotta ask a question, fearing what the answer may be.

"So," I look at all of them, "Do we know who the bomber was working for or why they are targeting me?" I ask the group, in desperate need for an answer.

"Batman and the League are working on it, we will inform you when an answer is revealed." Aqualad tells me, putting a hand on my shoulder as to reassure me. I let out a sigh, plopping down onto the sofa and putting my head into my hands.

"If you let me go on my computer, I could find out for you." I look up at Aqualad, seeming as he is the leader.

"It may not be the safest idea." Superboy says to me from across the room, next to M'gann.

"He's right, you should just lay low for now, just in case." Kid Flash supports him, I lean back on the sofa and let out another sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose.


	5. Chapter 5

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Gotham**

**Sunday, October 17**

The heat lamp of the bathroom is heating my skin past comfort, but it's the only thing keeping me calm at the moment. I'm getting ready to meet Mr. Fox and Mr. Wayne, and I have no idea what to do. I obviously have to impress them but I don't know how. I just have to make an impression, look nice, and get through this lunch without messing up or embarrassing myself. So I'm standing in my bathroom, putting on makeup that I rarely ever use with the exception of my gymnastics competitions. Just thin eyeliner and some mascara, I don't want to over do it. My hair is already in a tight bun and now all I have to do is put on the outfit laying out on my bed. Once dressed, I stand in front of my full length mirror, my nerves nearly getting the best of me.

I'm not sure if this is what I should be wearing, but its a deep red long sleeved skater dress with black tights. The only thing missing is a belt and the shoes. I pull on a thin leather belt and step into a pair of black oxfords. I grab my coat and bag and get ready to leave. When I go downstairs, I find that Dick is in my living room in regular clothing instead of his uniform.

"You look very nice." He remarks as he stands up from his place on the sofa.

"You don't look to bad yourself." I smile, noticing his button down and and slacks. "I thought you left with the other's to scope out the location." I ask as I button up my coat and sling my bag over my shoulder.

"Well, the outside world, especially our classmates, know the two of us are friends. That means, it won't matter if anyone sees us together or if I tag along to a brunch where my legal guardian is involved." He smiles as he straightens up his jacket.

"Alright then, shall we?" I ask as I open the door. He smiles and goes out the door. I lock the door and when I turn around, I see Dick standing in front of a town car and a well aged man in a three piece suit, maroon vest, and a black tie. I approach the car with skepticism.

"Ronnie, this is Bruce and my butler, Alfred Pennyworth. He'll be driving us to Wayne Enterprises." Dick says as he gestures for me to get into the car first. I approach Alfred first.

"Nice to meet you Alfred." I smile and put my hand out to shake, the old man giving me a firm and proper shake.

"Likewise, Ms. Grey." He gives a small smile and I get into the car, Dick sliding in after me. I turn to Dick as the car begins to move.

"Not that I'm going to protest, but is all of this really necessary?" I ask with a slight laugh of curiosity.

"Alfred is perfectly capable of being an important asset in your protection detail, so yeah, all of this is necessary." Dick says with a light hearted smile. I can't help but release a small giggle under my breath. The car ride is quick and silent, probably from the nervous air surround me and my currently attack prone self. As soon as the car stops and I step out, I feel completely dwarfed by the massive skyscraper that is Wayne Enterprises. This is it, today is the starting point of the most important thing I will ever do in my highschool career to change my life for the better. All of my nervous thoughts and worries are silenced when I feel Dick's hand on my back, ushering me into the building so I'm not outside for too long. The lobby is different than I expected, less intimidating and more soft yet modern. Dick leads me to the elevator and scans a key card and pressing the top button.

The movement of the elevator quells my nerves, but only for a moment. As soon as it stops and the doors slide open, I find myself in what looks like lounge with a single desk between two large doors. The woman seems preoccupied with something on her computer, as Dick leads me to the large door on the left. Inside is one of the most beautiful yet functional offices I have ever seen, with two men at the desk. I feel frozen as the two acknowledge our presence and approach us. The older, african man smiles and extends a hand.

"Hello, Ms. Grey. I am Mr. Fox. We spoke on the phone before." He introduces with a warm demeanor. I shake his hand and return the smile.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Fox." I say before I turn to the man next to him, "and you must be Mr. Wayne." I extend my hand first this time. I can't tell what this man is going to do next, shake my hand or throw me out of the office. His intimidation yet open demeanor is throwing me off. But sure enough, he takes my hand.

"Yes, I am. Dick, here, has told me a lot about you." He say with a serene yet happy expression that seems genuine, but something else is hiding behind his eyes, but I dare not delve into that. I look over to Dick only to see a slight blush in his cheeks quickly fade.

"I hope nothing bad." I laugh slightly to make an attempt to alleviate my tension. His voice is familiar, as Dick's was, but I'm sure it's just from seeing him on the news.

"So," Mr. Wayne puts his hands together, "shall we begin?" He looks to Mr. Fox. I notice Dick leave to the little lounge outside the office door.

"If you would be so kind as to take a seat, Ms. Grey, that would be lovely." Mr. Fox says as Mr. Wayne gestures for me to sit in front of his computer. I take off my bag and coat, laying them on the back of one of the chairs in front of the desk before proceeding to sit down as directed.

"So, what am I going to be doing?" I look up to them as I cross my legs and pull the chair in closer to my desk.

"Impress us with your computer skill, we are only looking to test your capabilities with advanced software and such so we may adjust your personal curriculum for the program." Mr. Fox says warmly, like he is expecting something intelligent or creative from me. I'll give him both. I'll give him a _shocker_, a great surprise.

"Alright, I know exactly what to do." I smile, stretching my fingers before touching them to the keyboard. _Just type, Ronnie. Don't pull, just type._ I open the internet and begin to open the Wayne Enterprises site. From there, my fingers begin to fly on the keyboard, typing almost too fast for the computer to register. I decrypt the entire site and trace the source of the site to the servers in this building, pull up the schematics of the building side by side with R&amp;D and Applied Sciences. Before they know it, I'm locating and showing the security camera footage from inside the secret department containing all of their "failed" and bought out products. I even pull up the stats and designations of the most dangerous and powerful of the arsenal. I turn the chair and sit up properly. The look on Fox's face is speechless, but Mr. Wayne seems more intrigued than shocked.

"Y-you… You just manually hacked one of the most secure and protected system this company has… in less than two minutes." Mr. Fox finally states. He just looks amazed.

"Well, welcome to the program." Mr. Wayne give a slight smirk. I grin as I turn back around to close the breach I created from this computer faster than I opened it, erasing any existence of my hacking and decoding.

"All fixed and slightly stronger than before." I say as I stand up, making the mistake of sticking my hand on the desk. I feel circuitry going from the small bust to a secret compartment of the desk. I force the wires to send out a little pulse. The scan I get, is of thick fabric, and an assortment of small weapons such as what I am shocked to realize, are the famous Batarangs.

"Is there something wrong, Ms. Grey?" Mr. Fox asks. I shake my head.

"May I speak to Mr. Wayne in private for a moment?" I ask, hoping he will oblige. He gives a curt nod before leaving the room. I look Mr. Wayne dead in the eye and will the secret drawer to open itself.

"I had a feeling something like that might happen." The billionaire remarks as I look in the drawer to see the bat emblem.

"The famous billionaire, Bruce Wayne, is the caped crusader." I lean onto the desk with amazement crossing my face. "Didn't see that one coming." I stare at the floor with wide eyes, trying to comprehend what I just discovered by accident. All I did, was touch the desk, and curiosity overtook me.

"Not many people know this information, I advise you keep this to yourself." He says in a stern, commanding voice. I stand up straighter to convey competence.

"Yes, sir. No one will find out." I promise him, hoping this is the end of it. I don't want to be on the wrong side of him if he's Batman.

"Now that this part is over with, I suggest we meet Mr. Fox and Dick." He says, gesturing for me to follow him to the lounge outside the office. I try to stay calm, so far so good. I have a friend with me, Mr. Fox and Mr. Wayne are impressed, and I'm being watched and protected by a covert ops team. Kinda hard to believe considering I haven't noticed any of them around here. Not even Aqualad or Kid Flash. You would notice a dark skinned blonde or a redhead is you passed one, and I haven't seen either. I obviously won't recognize Miss Martian since she is a shape shifter. But I can't help but worry about the alternative answer to why I haven't seen any of them anywhere. I guess I wasn't paying enough attention to the three men in my company, but I ended up following them to a conference room. The rest of the day, it's just talking and having a lunch together. At the end, we all stand up to make our goodbyes.

"Well, it was great to meet you before you begin at our labs tomorrow." Mr. Fox smiles as he stands up from his seat. A chill runs down the back of my neck.

"Likewise, Mr. Fox. I'm looking forward to the program." I smile. We all part ways and Dick brings me downstairs to take me home. We are standing outside, waiting for Alfred to pull around. Dick gets off his phone.

"There's traffic, Alfred will be here in a few minutes." Dick assures me. A certain feeling hits me.

"I'll be right back, I have to use the little girls room." I tell him before heading back into the building. I find the restroom down a secluded hallway off the reception desk. I get in and out as fast as possible, but on my way out, I run into a man, probably on his way to the mens' room.

"Sorry, didn't see you there." The man apologizes. I give him a smile.

"No problem at all." I try to get past him, but he steps in front of me. I glare at him in confusion. "Excuse me, sir." I try to step past him the other way, but he blocks me once again.

"Sorry, can't let you go." He says just before he grabs my shoulder, spins me around and covers my mouth with a rag with a burning, rotten smell. After a few seconds, my body goes limp. Everything fades to black as he duct tapes the rag to my face and begins to drag me down the hall.

The first time I wake up, everything is blurry but I can tell that I'm in the back seat of a car, one man driving and another sitting next to me. Before I can figure out what's going on, the one next to me sticks me with a needle, hooking me up to an IV bag with god knows what. I quickly pass out again as the car makes a turn. The last thing I hear is an airplane over head. The next time I wake up, I'm being carried down a set of stairs. When I open my eyes, I'm being carried off a charter jet, the smell of the ocean hitting me before someone probably ups the dosage from the IV. Sending me back to sleep. The final time I wake up, I'm in a chair, my hands cuffed to the arm rests. Even my ankles are chained to the legs of the chair. I try to look down, but there is an inhibitor collar around my neck. Guess there's not chance in escaping the easy way. A man enters and approaches me.

"So what is this? You want to hold me for ransom? Answers?" I ask, he stays quiet for a minute. "You can tell me, it's not like I can go anywhere." I scowl at him. He gets a smirk.

"Do you know how long you've been here?" He asks, like there's a joke that I don't get.

"I'm guessing a few hours, maybe a day or two. Which means people are looking for me." I tell him, glaring at him. But he just laughs.

"When your regeneration gave you a tolerance for sedatives that we couldn't exceed, we began shooting you periodically to make sure you wouldn't regain consciousness until it was time. You've been here for two weeks and four days." He informs me. I look down the best I can, noticing the bullet holes in my dress along with dried blood. The largest concentration on my chest.

"So I'm awake, what is it time for?" I ask, looking up to him, memorizing his face for when I get out of here.

"My boss has a team of scientist. He wants them to study you." As if on cue, a group of people in white lab coats, scrubs and surgical masks enter with carts of equipment. One gets close to me and begins drawing blood. I wait till they get too close before I jerk down and bite their hand as hard as I can without taking any flesh. The handler laughs.

"You just gave us the perfect opportunity to conduct one of the most important tests." One of the scientists grin. They take the syringe of my blood, injecting it into the scientist whose hand I bit. The wound quickly heals before my eyes.

"So you just want me for research?" I laugh at them. "How the hell did you find out what I could do, anyway?" I ask, hoping they'll tell me. One of the scientists steps forward to address me.

"We've been watching you since you were born, your blood was in your mother's system when the cesarean section had extreme complications that should have killed your mother. She went into cardiac arrest and she flatlined for four minutes. All of the sudden her heart started beating again, her body was even completely restored. Not even a scar from the incision for delivering you. When she was tested, there was no sign of a meta gene. That when we began to monitor you, Veronica. We found you by sheer luck, and there is no way we are letting you go until the research is complete and we can replicate your ability." He informs me. I'm intrigued but another thing runs through my mind.

"Why not just clone me and study a mindess copy?" I ask, wondering why they haven't tried that yet in the time I've been here.

"Your cells fight duplication, we gene splice dna to transfer the new genome for the embryo designated for the clone. Your genes will not comply to our methods, nor will they be transferred directly. We have failed in every attempt. You are the only option as a test subject." He looks at me with disdain and disappointment. I can't help but laugh. They can't make an army of me, so they have to go through failure after failure to study me in a doomed attempt to replicate my ability.

"Well, let the tests begin. _Hit me with your best shot._" I spit at them, encouraged by the extremely high chance that they can't succeed in their planned experiment. Not if I can help it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Unknown Location**

**Friday, November 5, 2010**

My hope is growing weaker with every test. Eventually they wondered if I was like a salamander, so they cut off finger after finger. The excruciating pain faded each time as the fingers all grew back just as the next one was being cut off. Another venture was to sever tendons in different parts of my body while being scanned so they can see how I heal from things requiring medical procedure. Other horrible things were blowing out my ear drums with a sonic sound emitter until they bled, and removing my teeth to see if those would come back too. But what's breaking me, is how excited they are by my pain, now hurting me out of blatant curiosity and enjoyment in breaking something that fixes itself.

The one thing that I could have lived without experiencing, was the severing of limbs. One at a time, they would remove an arm, then a leg, then maybe a foot. The whole time, all I could hear was _fascinating_, _such and amazing specimen_, _I wonder if we can overload the pain sensories of the brain_, the worst was, "_There has to be a limit, we need to find out what the limit is._" But all I can do is hold in the screaming and reactions to keep from giving them any satisfaction.

Most of the time, they were just drawing blood and looking at it under a microscope, dropping acid on the plates and things like that to study the blood cells. Through the night, a different set of scientist come in, just as they did last night. I don't get to sleep and quite frankly, I might be going crazy.

"Alright, Veronica," one of the scientists begins, "we want to test your ability to withstand your own ability." He attaches wired to my forehead. Another comes and sticks the rest on my hands, feet, and the exposed bits of skin from the bullet holes in my clothing.

"These experiments would be a lot easier if we could remove her clothing." One of the scientists remarks. This makes me get nervous. I don't want to be exposed to them, as they are already torturing me.

"You remember our orders, the boss wants us to respect the specimen. We can't take certain measures until it is absolutely necessary." The handler reminds them. This is the first time I've felt relief since the meeting with Mr. Fox and Mr. Wayne. But it soon ends as soon as someone flips a switch and almost fifteen hundred volts run through me. In midst my screaming, I have a moment of clarity and the inhibitor collar around my neck is overloaded for a few seconds. I take the opportunity to use my technokinesis to override the collar programming, forcing it to inhibit three completely different abilities than my own. The electricity ceases and I calm down with deep breaths. All I have to do now, is wait for the right moment to escape.

"How can you live with yourselves?" I snap at them. "You're torturing an innocent teenager that was kidnapped and brought hundreds of miles just so you can cut into her and watch her scream!" I yell at them, making eye contact with each and every one of them, staring them down with vindictive eyes. One clears their throat and approaches me.

"I live with it by reminding myself, it's all in the name of science," he states as the corner of his mouth curls up into a remote smirk. I look at the clock on the computer and it reads 19:46, it's 7:46 pm. I have plenty of time before they go on break to plan my escape. All of the sudden, the scientist and my handler disappear in a strange flash of individual lights per person.

"I don't care what just happened, but I'm not complaining." I tell myself as I will the collar to drop off me and the restraints to let me go. I will the metal chair to fly up and shatter the sky light in the ceiling. I use the magnetic fields of the metal components of the warehouse to levitate myself up and out of the window. Once on the roof, I recognize the skyline of Star City, my dad used to take me with him on his business trips here. I'm at least two miles outside downtown, so all I have to do is find a car.

In the parking lot of the warehouse There is an assortment of cars, but the most useful choice is the only car with a sport setting, a black volkswagen. I put my hand on the side and tell the car to unlock and start it's engine. I open the door and get in. I tell it to go into sport mode and I pull out of the lot and speed my way downtown, struggling to keep the car from drifting with every turn. Smartest place for me to go, is the downtown precinct. When I get there, I run inside and stop in my tracks when I realize the entire place is empty and in a mess. I look outside to see everyone else gone as well. I get to a computer and put my hand on it's tower. According to all social media blogs, all the adults eighteen and older hand disappeared. Just before I can contact the younger heroes, the adrenaline fades and my extreme exhaustion hits me. I collapse on the floor, drifting into a deep and unwanted sleep.

**Saturday, November 6 **

There is a voice bouncing around in my mind as I slowly come too.

"No signs of injury, but there's blood all over her. Judging by her state, the blood is hers but I don't know how or where it came from." The deep and serious voice says. There's ringing and ruffling of paper in the background.

"That's because you don't know where I came from." I whisper from the floor. I hear snapping.

"Hey! I've got consciousness, bring the paramedic over here." The voice orders. Soon, there is a bright light flashing in my eyes. When the light disappears, the first thing I see is a ginger in a domino mask. He is kneeling beside me, his muscularly defines arms sitting me up slowly to prevent disorientation. I recognize the costume and the new hero costume for Speedy, now called Red Arrow.

"When… When did the adults come back?" I ask, pinching the bridge of my nose, trying to remember everything from before I passed out.

"Not too long ago. Long story." He sighs. "What's your name?" He questions as he helps me stand up, someone hands me a jacket, probably to cover up all the holes in my clothes. I quickly put together all the necessary information that he needs to hear.

"Veronica Leigh Grey from Gotham. I've been missing going on twenty days, abducted from Wayne Enterprises, drugged and brought to Star City by plane and kept in a warehouse. I know you're a hero and you all have connections to each other, so I'm going to need you to contact Batman before I do." He is silent for a second, processing all of my information. I'm starting to feel safe for the first time in a while.

"Why should I listen to you?" He asks is skepticism. I attract one of his metal arrows out of his quiver and use it to slice my forearm. "What do you think you're do-" He begins to say before he notices the wound close up, the skin returning to it's unblemished state.

"Contact Batman before my captor's boss finds out I'm here and wants me back." I plead, Red Arrow nods and puts his finger to his communicator. I zone out and start pacing to keep myself from stressing out, but it's not really working. I see a hair tie on a woman cop's desk. She sees me staring.

"Can I help you?" She asks. I nod and point at the hair tie.

"Do you mind if I use that?" She nods and I take it, flipping my head upside down and smooth my hair back into a bun, I feel better with it off my back. Red Arrow approaches me after a few minutes.

"Green Arrow is coming with a fresh change of clothes and has been ordered to assist me in making sure you get to Batman. Bats is busy taking care of something right now, or else he would come to you." Red Arrow says to me. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you." I tell him, hoping this is the end of the conversation for now. But it probably won't be for a while. Strange girl found in the middle of a precinct, passed out on the floor, I'd be asking a lot of questions. Especially if she said she'd been missing almost three weeks and covered in bullet holes. But he's silent, just sneaking glances at me. Every time I look at him, his head moves away, probably to make him look like he's not looking, but I'm sure his mask is hiding his sideways glancing. I probably weirded him out with cutting my arm, but he is probably curious about what happened to me for over two weeks. I wouldn't blame him. After a little bit, Green Arrow comes in. He hands a backpack to Red Arrow and begins talking to the officers in the precinct as Red brings me the bag.

"Get changed, we are getting you out of here as soon as possible." Red orders. I nod and find a bathroom. I get a wet paper towel and wipe off all the dried blood off my skin and out of my hair. When I open the bag, I find a pair of leggings, a button down, socks, black high tops, winter coat and a pair of raybans. I don't know where he got this stuff, but I don't care. I just get dressed and comb my curls with my fingers before heading out to the two arrows. I might be hallucinating but Red's demeanor changes, like he is shocked by my transformation to a normal girl from a ragged one.

"You ready to go?" Green Arrow asks as I walk up to them. I nod. They lead me out the back where there are two motorcycles, a red one and a green. The both get on their respective bikes, Roy tosses me a helmet and gestures for me to get on the bike as he attaches his bow and quiver to the side of his bike. I hesitantly get on the back of his bike and put on the helmet.

"Might want to hold on tight." Red tells me. I awkwardly put my hands around his waist before the two rev their engines and take off, which leads me to hold on for dear life. It's just a few tight turns and the running of red lights before we stop before a brick wall. It scans Red and Green and opens up. Green Arrow types something in so I can go in as well. The inside of this place, from the looks of it, is a weapons cache/hideout.

"Are you sure it was the best idea to take a girl you've never met into one of your secret hideout?" I ask as I put my hand on the floor to feel the size of the place and it's inner workings.

"Batman said you were good with secrets, if he trusts you, so do I." Green states as I feel to massive devices taking more energy from than anything else in the place. I follow it and look up to see two tubes with advanced technology that I have never been able to work with due to limited resources. I look at Red with a big smile like an excited little girl before running up to these tubes. The two Arrows watch me curiously as I put my hand on that tubes.

"No. Freaking. Way." I look to Green Arrow. "Are these Zeta-Beam Teleporter Tubes?" I ask him as I test feel the whole system, it spans out all over the world and to…

"Yeah, how do you know about Zeta Tubes?" Green questions and I step inside to get a better look at the interior.

"I have this habit of reading classified and deleted files, Zeta Tubes being one of them." I say quietly to myself before turning to him. "I'm a Technopath and to me, getting to see these in person, I'm in awe." I tell them as the approach me.

"Well get ready because we are taking you to Batman via Zeta-Beam." Green Arrow states as he stops next to me. The Zeta Tube recognizing him. He pulls up a holocomputer and begins to enter something. Red laughs next to me, definitely something I wasn't expecting from a serious guy like him.

"What?" I ask as I look to him, a smile on his face. _He has a nice smile_.

"You look like a kid in a candy store," he looks back to Green Arrow, but I can't help but gawk at him. His perfect features and red hair, the hero aspect of him. The first thing I saw when I woke up, and he helped me without asking too many questions and getting what I needed. He is pretty nice too when he's not in serious mode.

"So I amuse you?" I question, standing up straighter before he faces me once again. I corner of his mouth curls slightly, like he is going to smile, but Green Arrow finished something.

"Stand here." Green orders. I stand right in front of the tube and it scans me. He types something else in and We all walk into the tube together. The experience of my particles being disassembled in Star City then Reassembled wherever Batman is, is something I'm going to have to get used to if I continue to use these Zeta Tubes. When we step out, I recognize the look of Gotham at either ends of the alley way. Batman steps out of the shadows and approaches us.

"Let's get you home, Ronnie." Batman says as I walk to his side. He looks to Red, almost like a silent thank you for finding me. Batman puts his arm around me to usher me to the Batmobile down the alley. I look back and wave goodbye to Red Arrow, maybe I'll get to see him again sometime. I get into the Batmobile with Batman and he speeds off.

"I don't know if they lied to me or not, but, was I really gone for two and a half weeks?" I ask as he drives.

"Yes, we were looking for you ever since. We tracked you to the Gotham Airport, but the trail went cold when the plane they put you on didn't follow its flight plan." He puts plainly. We keep driving in silence.

"When we get you home, we'll let you have a day, then I'm bringing you to the team's hideout for debriefing and formal introductions." He tells me as we make a sharp turn and begin heading down my street. I process what he's just said.

"Do you mean you want me to begin… _training_… with the team?" I look at his with a raised eyebrow. The Batmobile stops in front of my house, but neither of us get out.

"I'm suggesting you accept this opportunity, as well as allowing me to appoint rotating protectors. Only when you exceed a certain level of training, will the excessive protection cease." He instructs before he exits the Batmobile and I follow him. He scopes out the street as I knock on the door. Before I know it, the door is opening and someone is pulling me into one of the tightest hugs I've ever experienced. It's nice, and when they finally let go, the hugger is someone I wasn't expecting. I was expecting it to be my mother, but when I see the face, it's my father. His face seems aged, like he's strained. There are worry lines between eyebrows and frown lines. We all head inside.

"So, what now?" I look to Batman after I go through the hugging thing again with my mother. My parents look at me like I'm an alien or something. Probably because I'm not reacting like the scared little girl they think I am.

"Whatever you need to do. Your parents and I are going discuss some things in private." He orders. I get up from my place between my parents before I go upstairs to my room. I drop the backpack on the ground of my room, and just take off all of my my clothing, article by article as I walk to my bathroom. The tremors begin as I turn on the hot water to the shower. I stand in the hot water, but I just feel disgusting. I make the water hotter and hotter until it is borderline burning my skin. But it doesn't matter, even if my skin does burn, it's just going to heal. The feeling, stimulating my nerves like this is giving me something to hold onto, but its not enough. I can't help but lean onto the tiled wall of the shower, slowly lowering myself to the floor of the shower, the water running down my back as I curl up into a ball.

They always tell you to never internalize your emotions, to express them so nothing builds up. But now that I am home, and alone in this bathroom, every inch of my wants to scream and cry. I can't do that. I can't bother them downstairs and I can't let my captors win in breaking me, turning my into a helpless and weak creature. So I hold on as long as I can before I just have to let something out, the quiet sobs and heavy rush of tears, hyperventilation and covering my mouth in case I make the mistake of letting out a sound that could draw my parents upstairs to me. I just want to be alone.


	7. Chapter 7

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Wayne Tech**

**Saturday, November 13, 2010**

I've been given the privilege of amping up the security of Wayne Enterprises, which includes Wayne Tech. Now that I'm here and finally beginning the Program, I have something to distract me from everything that's happened. Too bad Ice Villains had their way a few days ago, I was stuck at home and forced to deal with myself. Nothing is going to change how I feel, not until I get my justice. I'm going to get my answers when the time is right. When I finish my training and become capable, I'm going to bring them all down, and put them away forever. But for now, I'm working at Wayne Tech without surveillance on my lab so I can use my abilities freely. Right now, I'm virtually designing nanotech that is injected into the blood, locates malignant tumors, enters them and destroy them directly by burning the cancer cells. Once the tumor is cleared, the bots will extract themselves by entering the sweat glands and coming out of the pores. The phone rings and I press my ear piece.

"Ronnie's lab." I answer as type furiously to go through programming calculations to make sure there are no mistakes and making corrections where necessary.

"Hey, it's Artemis." She greets me, I can almost hear her smile. She's given me my space when necessary, but since I got back, she and I have hung out every day. "What's up?" She asks, so curious about my work.

"Curing cancer." I give her the short answer and I continue combing through my calculations and coding.

"That's cool, you can tell me all about it at training today." She says with genuine interest. But I know there's something coming next. "So after training, M'gann and I are going to take Zatanna around Happy Harbor, grab some food at a local cafe. Do you wanna come?" She seems almost hesitant to ask me to go out in public without it being necessary.

"Might as well, I need to do something social anyway." I give in eventually. "I have to go, I'll see you in training." I tell her before pressing my earpiece and ending the call. My equations are perfected, the programming complete, only building the first batch and testing them is left. I've run the virtual trial software, and I am ninety percent successful, which is within the requirement to begin trials with rats. I save my progress and shut everything down before exiting the lab to get lunch from the Nutrition Center within the facilities. If it were up to me, I'd be going off the campus to get food, or even having it delivered. But I'm not going to break the rules set by Batman and the League. As soon as I exit my lab, someone comes out of the shadows. On instinct, I wait for the right moment before kicking backwards with electricity escaping my foot. They catch my leg.

"Easy there, sparky. It's just me." Dick laughs as he drops my leg and comes before me.

"You do _not_ sneak up on me." I tell him bitterly, walking away so I can grab food to bring back to my workstation. I'm already too far into my project to stop now and it's not my time to be social. That will come after I've fulfilled my duties as a student and a hero.

"Oh, come on, Ronnie! Relax a little bit." He urges, speed walking so he can get past me, then proceed to walk backwards and face me. I roll my eyes and continue on my path but he is persistent, giving me a look like he thinks I'm too uptight. Strange to believe that people think I'm too uptight and serious versus my previously high strung self. It's not my fault I'm trying to get over something very hard to forget.

"You need to leave me be, today. I don't need any company or your protection while I'm still on campus." I tell him before turning a corner, somehow without him. The little errand it quick, I'm back to my workstation within minutes with my favorite things for lunch. A pb&amp;j, chocolate milk, chips and a muffin. Not the most impressive thing from a busy scientist and engineer, but it make's me feel better.

I continue to work on my nanotech, focusing on the air around me, willing the different parts of each nanobot to come together. It's nice to see all the metal and simplistic pieces coming together all around me in the room. I nearly lose myself in seeing it all, but I'm snapped back to reality when it all stops, and they are all built. The remainder of the day is me, manually checking each and every nanobot under a microscope to make sure they are all put together properly.

**A Few Hours Later**

The weirdest part about training, is the fact that they expect me to obtain a uniform. Sooner or later, I'm going to have to go out into the field and apparently, it's frowned upon to be like Superboy and just wear a black t-shirt with a symbol. I think he just gets away with it because the League is desperate to have him be a part of the hero work while Superman is still apprehensive. But for now, I don't have a hero uniform just yet, still in the works.

When I enter the Cave via Zeta-tube, Kaldur and Connor are already training. The two seem perfectly capable of taking each other down, but the sparring is just that, two friends battling each other with grins when the other gets a good shot. I go to the kitchen to find M'gann making cookies and Wally stealing cookie dough whenever he thinks she isn't looking. Zatanna is on the couch of the living room, as silent as can be. I was told not to bring up her father or anything about her old home, but I'm still awkward when talking to people I've just met, so I try to be keep myself distanced. But, she looks so uncomfortable here, may be where they've moved her, but it's not home yet. I can't help but sit down with her, she looks up at me like it's odd that someone would want to be around.

"So, how's getting settled in?" I ask automatically, she cracks a small smile.

"Most people were too nervous to ask me that, worried about upsetting me." She looks down with something I may be able to imagine considering my experience.

"I wasn't looking to make you upset, just trying to make conversation seeing as we will be seeing a lot of eachother here on out, with me joining the team and all." I try to make it sound less awkward than it was in my head, but I'm not sure if I'm that successful.

"Well then, let's make conversation." She regains that little smile from earlier, making me feel all the more accomplished in not screwing up at all.

"Alright, what did you do today?" I ask, wondering if she did something fun. I haven't had genuine fun since Artemis and I went to the mall, well, before it exploded.

"Practiced magic mostly, organized things and helped M'gann cook some things here and there." She drones like she think she had the most boring and uneventful day.

"I built Nanobots and spent three hours on revising calculations and programing, an hour actually building them, and four hours manually checking them under a microscope to make sure they were all made properly." I purse my lips to convey they boredom. Zatanna's smile grows, I've so far accomplished making a girl who lost her father to smile.

"That sounds kind of cool actually." She comments quietly, her smile slowly fading. I guess I couldn't help her forget for long. But we don't have long for chit-chat, Black Canary's presence is announced by the Zeta-interface. Everyone stops what they're doing and heads to the mission room for training. She gives us instructions on what we should focus on for training today, and I end up getting to go one on one with Canary since I still have to catch up to the others. Apparently, she likes extremely hands on training because I feel every blow. Each hit is a reminder why I'm determined to be one of the best. I retaliate with more force in each blow.

"That's good, you're putting your weight into each attack, but be careful of being taken of balance." She says as she goes to sweep my legs. I let her, but bend backward as I fall, allowing myself to go into a back walkover to move away from the fight. I leap back in and keep going, blocking and dodging hits between delivering my own, managing to combine my gymnastics with my fighting. She stops holding back and puts me down.

"So, what can I work on for next time?" I ask as she puts a hand out to help me up from the ground.

"Just pay more attention and try to be creative, you don't want a pattern that your enemy can use against you." Canary says as I take a breather. "You're improving faster than anticipated, you may be ready for missions within the next few months, maybe sooner depending on the continuation of your progress." She smiles like I should be proud of myself, but I'm not. I won't be proud of myself until I take down everyone apart of my kidnapping and torture.

"May we continue?" I ask, waving aside the praise so I can keep working. She might _know_ why I'm so determined, but I don't think she _understands_ why.

"Sure, this time, surprise me." She instructs as the two of us take new stances. This time, I dictate the terms of the fight by making the first move, just like she taught me. She blocks my punch, but I come back with and under cut while she is distracted with blocking me. We keep fighting, and she amps it up a bit, making it harder for me to hold my own. She does a high kick near my head (which isn't hard because I just barely break five feet) and I drop to the floor, swinging my right leg to kick out her left. She rolls and gets back on her feet quickly. We continue until I get another bright idea after beginning to lose. I leap above her into a front tuck, pushing my feet out as I ascend, pushing her forward to the ground as I land in a crouch. She times out the fight as the two of us stand.

"How was that for creative?" I ask as I tuck and escaped tendril of hair behind my ear. She looks impressed.

"Where did you come up with that?" Canary asks as the two of us take a breather. I smirk in fleeting triumph.

"Just remembered gymnastics, I'm pretty good at improv and even if I failed, I could have just tried again." I shrug with modesty. She smiles at me, something feels heavy in my chest. No one has been this relaxed around me in a while. Everyone has been treating me like a weak and tiny little object, like I can't handle everyday life anymore. It's been a week, sure, but I'm handling it.

"Well, hands on experiences are a hero's bread and butter. We'll work more on your technique next time." She dismisses me. The rest of the team all line up across from them. "I'm impressed with _all_ of your progress. Till next time." She gives a slight nod before leaving through the Zeta-tube. Artemis finds me and takes me to M'gann and Zatanna.

"Are we all ready to go?" M'gann asks, we all look at eachother and have unanimous agreement. I reassure myself by tightening my grip on my purse. The four of us head to the garage and get in a car provided for our use. M'gann gets behind the wheel seeing as everyone is the most comfortable with her driving. She and I are the only ones with full licenses, but no one is too keen on giving me that kind of responsibility or duty even though I've told them many times that it' just driving. When the car finally stops, it's outside a pizzeria within Happy Harbor. We all get out and enter the restaurant, finding a table and shedding our coats.

"I'm dying for sausage," Zatanna breathes with a fleeting smirk twitching with the corner of her mouth.

"Let's get a meat lover's, I'm in the mood for pepperoni, also." Artemis states as she continues on through the menu. She closes it.

"I think we should get two pizzas and whatever we don't eat can go to Wally." I laugh, trying to be funny. I guess it worked because there is laughter coming from all of us. The waiter comes over and takes our order. After a long bit of waiting and eating chips as an appetizer, our pizzas finally arrive, all of us digging in. It's kinda nice to be out with the girls. I've never got to do this sort of thing before, being the socially challenged girl I was. I still am, but less so. M'gann and Artemis eat slowly, giving Zatanna and I sideways glances to make sure we are enjoying ourselves before they enjoy themselves. Zatanna looks at me and we have a moment of understanding each other. Everyone is worried about our states of mind when we really are alright. Zatanna may be sad but she is still the same person. Me, I've gained a new drive and everyone should just be glad that's what I received after my experience. I could have gone insane or mentally shut down from the traumatic experience. But life goes on, and we are still here in this cafe, eating pizza together and trying to go through life like it was before.

"So, have you gotten a hero costume yet?" M'gann asks me. I shake my head.

"Still in the process of trying to design what I want it to look like. So far it has to have something to do with electricity." I shrug, continuing to eat my pizza as they mull over my answer.

"It would be cool to do a full body suit, if it's bullet proof then you have full body coverage." Zatanna puts out the idea for me, but I shrug.

"I don't think bulletproof matters at this point, I regenerate. But a full body suit could be fun." I praise her idea to be nice. Right now I'm thinking black shorts, black long sleeve crop top with lightning designs on one of the arms, utility belt, and short ankle boots with a good range of mobility for my gymnastics and stealth reasons. But I don't know, I could end up in a cold situation and it not end well with all the exposed skin. But I do have the ability of electrokinesis, I could just warm myself up with it.

"You should let us help you design it, could be fun." Artemis smiles as she moves onto her second piece of pizza.

"I would like that very much." I grin as I grab my third slice. When we all finish and head back to the cave, we all part ways and all make it home. I don't really like going home anymore. My parents treat me like a poor, defenseless creature. But I'm getting stronger, better in combat. If anyone is defenseless, it's them. They are in the kitchen, but I go straight upstairs to avoid them and get into the shower. As of passed revelations, my father has agreed to let me stop competing so I can focus on being a hero and my work at Wayne Tech. It's hard to be around him now, I crushed his dream of the olympics, but I can't be a hero with a secret identity if I'm all over television. I continue to think on this as I shower. But the calm brings thoughts to the front of my mind that I prefer not to have. They are the memories of being tortured all in the name of _science_. As much as I am a lover of science, I would never do what was done to me to another living creature. It isn't humane and no one should have to experience it. But I did, and I want to take down my captors and bring their employer to their knees.


	8. Chapter 8

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Gotham**

**Tuesday, November 16, 2010**

I convened with Batman about my hero costume, and finally it's here. After it was made, Batman had it privately sent to me. Currently, I'm in my room with the box on my bed. I open in and change into it, just to be safe on the fitting and such. Once dressed, I look into the floor length mirror in the corner of the room, marveling at the hero staring back at me. It's like how I had envisioned it before, a black longsleeved crop top, blue wrist cuffs, black shorts, blue utility belt and blue ankle boots. The crop top ends at my ribs just below my bust, the right shoulder and sleeve is decorated with electric blue lightning, on my shoulder is a tribal lightning bolt in a lighter blue than the lightning designs. The shorts are just black and high waisted, covering my naval. The utility belt, wrist cuffs, and ankle boots are electric blue like the lightning on my arm. My hands wave over the left cuff, giving my mind a sort of scan. The left is a holo computer. The other on the right is just for show. Once satisfied, I change into the outfit laid out on my bed.

"You almost ready?" My mother calls up to me as I slide on my shoes.

"Just a few more minutes!" I yell back as I grab the suitcase satchel by the door of my room. I head downstairs and grab my coat before heading out front to the town car sent from Wayne Enterprises to take me to the airport. Today, I'm going to Star City for a conference with Queen Industries and their program with Royal University. I give my mom a hug before heading out the door.

"Be safe, Ronnie!" She calls after me as the driver takes my suitcase and opens the door for me. I wave back to her and climb into the car. The driver shuts the door behind me and I keep a serious face and powerful demeanor to intimidate him. There is no reason anyone should see me as a scared little girl. I know I used to be one, but I cannot afford to have that happen again. The car is moving for a while until it stops on an air strip with a charter jet ready to be boarded. The driver gives my bag to the men putting the luggage in the storage area below the passenger cabin. Once in the large jet, I'm greeted by the others on this trip. Fourteen other scientists, a few of the board members and Mr. Fox. We were told that Mr. Wayne has business in the city, and would be inconvenience by taking this trip. Too bad, the man with the name on the company isn't attending the major conferences. But, I know that as Batman, he probably has better reasoning for not attending this. I sit down in my own private section, pulling out my laptop so I may continue my work. The nanobots had trouble navigating, so I'm fixing the programming so they may navigate a body better after being downloaded an anatomy program of my own design. After a while, everyone is boarded and the plane begins to take off. I turn off my laptop and things, and just sit as the plane ascends into the sky. The steady hum of the plane lulls me to sleep.

****A few hours later****

I wake up as the plane descends to the air strip of Star City Nation Airport. Soon, we are landing and everyone is packing up, preparing to exit the plane. We all stand on the tarmac as multiple black limousines pull up to pick us up from the airport. I have an awkward ride with all of the senior scientists that are actually speaking at the conference. The other students in my program filled up the first limo before me, so I'm stuck with the legitimate employees of Wayne Tech. They all avoid eachothers' gazes, so I follow suit, pulling out my phone to tell my mother I've landed. When we get to the hotel where the conference is being hosted, we all check in one by one, all of us receiving our own rooms to maintain privacy and personal space. I find my room on one of the upper floors and just wheel my bag to the end of my bed as I take it all in. The most important detail of the room, is the schedule packet laying on the desk of the hotel room. There is a brunch for all of the attendees of the conference in twenty minutes.

The first thing to do to prepare for the brunch is throw my suitcase onto the bed and unzip it. I will the metal hangars to come out of the closet and slide into the shoulders of the tops and the clips to hold onto all of the bottoms. Once it is all put away, I pull on a black bodycon dress with a grey blazer. I check my bun in the mirror to be sure it's intact after the flight, then proceed to step into a pair of black flats. I grab my satchel and head out the door, nearly bumping into some guy in the hallway.

"I'm sorry!" I apologize nervously as the tall male straightens up his suit.

"It's alright, no harm done." The male says as I look up to see his face. The two of us being that close and me being shorter than average kept me from getting a good look at him. This man is easily over a foot taller than me. His red hair styles up and blue eyes looking at me intently.

"Good, a-are you attending the c-conference?" I ask, this attractive male causing me to revert back into my awkward and nervous mentality.

"Mandatory for me, I'm afraid. I work in the executive department of Queen Industries." He gives a half smile as the two of us walk down the hallway to the elevator. He presses the button and give me another look with those clear blue eyes and my knees begin to feel like jello, but I'm slowly acclimating myself to his presence.

"If you don't mind me asking, if you live here in Star City, why are you up by the hotel rooms?" I ask, trying not to sound rude.

"Visiting a friend who is staying here on vacation, nothing to do with the conference." He says quickly. "Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Roy Harper." He says as we get into the elevator, outstretching his hand for a formal greeting. I shake his hand.

"Veronica Grey, but just call me Ronnie." He smiles when I say my name, there is a strange familiarity between us, but I decide to put it aside.

"So which program are you from? Please tell me it's not LexCorp." He groans with his speech. I can't help but giggle slightly.

"No, Wayne Enterprises." I tell him as the elevator doors open and the two of us walk out into the bustling hallway. We follow the flow of people to the entrance of the banquet hall until we are stopped by the coordinators sitting at a table with name tags and seating designations. We get out name tags and seating assignments, parting ways with a curt wave. I grab a plate and go through the brunch buffet, only grabbing a muffin and some fruit. When I finally get to my seat, Roy is at the one next to mine.

"Well, Ronnie, I guess we're sitting next to each other." He states as he begins to eat the food on his plate. At first, I'm confused but I look around to see multiple people from other programs. Not just scientists, but board members and high ranking company workers as well.

"I guess it makes the brunch a whole lot easier, I already know someone." I give him a warm smile, possibly hoping to start something with him. _No, Ronnie. Get a hold of yourself. You have a goal and you shouldn't be distracting yourself._ I snap at myself. I should be more focused on the goal, become the best possible version of myself, then take down my captors' superiors. My train of though is disrupted when a familiar face comes up behind Roy and puts a hand on the redhead's shoulder.

"How are things going with the attendees, Roy?" The blonde man asks. I recognize him, he's the reason everyone is gathered at the conference. He's Oliver Queen, playboy billionaire.

"It's great, I just met Ronnie, here, from Wayne Tech." He gestures to me, speaking in an interesting tone. I'm becoming even more curious about Roy. The two of us seem so familiar to each other, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe I'm drawn to him, maybe I know him from somewhere.

"Well, it's nice to meet one of Wayne's best and brightest." He smiles before turning to Roy, mumbling something close to his ear before walking away. I let it go, probably none of my business anyway. Roy and I just eat our food, catching one staring at the other. After a while, most people move into the adjacent banquet hall for presentations from a select few of scientists. Someone is in the middle of presenting something about renewable energy when my phone buzzes in my bag. At first, I ignore it but the buzzing repeats itself every few minutes. I reach into my bag and hold my phone tightly in my hand, focusing on it. I pull and find out what's going on. Picture after picture, starting with an angled shot from above the crowd, one by one zooming in on me. I can't help but get angry, my white knuckled grip on the strap of my bag is causing the leather to creek beneath my fingers. I push back through the phone, locating the messenger. _Southeast corner._ I force the phone on their person to emit a small electrical pulse so I can get a look at my captor without moving. Adult male in an air duct, aiming a slightly upgraded Barrett M82A1 sniper rifle at me. Based on his trajectory, it's aimed at my head. The shot won't kill me, but it will expose me. His finger grows tighter on the trigger. I focus and pinpoint on the trigger, willing the metal against his fingers, even going as far as forcing the magazine in the gun to fall out and spill the bullets in the air duct. The noise is just enough to get the presenter to stop speaking and to cause everyone to look back in the assailant's direction. But before I think I've driven him away, someone in black swings from out of no where and grabs me.

"Let me go!" I fight and thrash as they throw me, the crowd of scientists watching in shock as I'm thrown around.

"Sorry, missy, you're too special." They have the gall to say before I release a subtle and invisible shock, forcing them to drop me. I finally get a good look.

"Black Spider? Really?" I tell him with dissatisfaction in my voice and my face conveying that I was not impressed.

"Well you're one to talk. Boss said you were going to be difficult." He snarls, shooting red webbing at me.

"Why would I be difficult?! Why are you even after me?!" I shout at him, playing up my innocence and confusion in front of the crowd scrambling to the door as the villains attack me. I get a better look at my second assailant, Deadshot. I manage to hold my own for a bit until the two get the better of me. I end up on the ground and they keep going. I have to go down in front of everyone, I can't expose my abilities until absolutely necessary. Everything slows down like at the mall. I see Green Arrow run in and begin taking down Black Spider. Deadshot shatters the window behind me as Roy, in a pair of sunglasses and holding a red compound bow, runs in. Deadshot kicks me, sending me out the window. I'm almost sure that I'm going to find out what falling six stories is like until someone grabs my arm, then slowly pulling me back up. I fell the shards of glass protruding from my body as I lay on the floor, looking up at Roy as Green Arrow takes down the two assassins.

"You alright?" He asks as I remain on the ground, reaching for the shards of glass to remove them.

"Just help me." I roll on my side so he understands that I can't reach the glass in my back. He grabs one and it moves slightly, forcing out a gasp in pain. He becomes gentle and quick with the rest, like he is afraid of hurting me. I sit up as the wounds heal.

"Let's get you to your room. We can watch you from there." He picks me up bridal style, almost like he thinks I'm not capable of walking on my own.

"You really know how to sweep a girl off her feet." I mumble to myself, noticing a small smile appear on his face. Oddly enough, I feel warm at the sight of it. When I'm finally in my room, he lets me get cleaned up as he makes sure the room is safe. I sit on the bed, cross legged as he leans against the wall across from me. Apparently, the only thing we know how to do is stare at eachother.

"Green Arrow and Batman will be up soon after they finish handling Black Spider and Deadshot." He says, finally breaking the awkward silence. I can't help but flop back onto the bed, covering my face with my hands.

"I didn't last a day outside the protection of the League. Not a day outside Gotham." I say quietly, holding back my growing frustration. Roy gets up and sits next to me on the edge of the bed.

"Don't beat yourself up about it, this was completely out of your control." He tries to comfort me, but he just awkwardly sits there, not knowing exactly how to behave with me in this situation.

"But I put myself in the situation. A civilian could have been hurt because of me, because there are people that want me back." I look him in the eye, his eyes make my heart beat fast, putting me on edge and desiring to be irrational and impulsive.

"No one got hurt, and your assailants were captured. They haven't won, but if you become distraught about the situation, they will." He tells me as I sit up so we are face to face. Well, face to shoulder since I'm a lot smaller than him. It's weird, close age, extreme size difference.

"Well then, what do you think I should do?" I ask in a low, almost relaxed tone, looking into his clear blue eyes. He stares down back at me, face blank of expression. It's irritating that he is unreadable, but for some reason, I'm okay with that. But I don't get the chance to hear his answer, the door of the hotel room opens and the two of us scoot apart as Batman and Green Arrow enter. Batman has my satchel with my laptop and things in hand.

"They got in because someone put the security camera feed on a near flawless loop during that scientist's presentation. Can you find the original footage so we can gain more insight on the situation?" Batman asks as he sets the bag next to me. I open it and pull out my laptop, placing on hand flat, pushing my consciousness through the computer, through the cloud of networking and internet that never actually deletes anything, against popular belief. I search for a minute or two before I find the footage, and sending it to the holocomputer on Batman's arm.

"That's all of it, I didn't bother go through the whole thing, it is _League_ business after all." I say quietly, closing my laptop and bringing my legs close, sitting indians style.

"We will be investigating, you will be informed if when an answer is found. Until then, You are under the protection of Red Arrow, but I assume that you've deduced his identity." Green Arrow states.

"For now, the conference is on hold. We will check in later on." Batman says before the two Leaguers leave the room.

"I guess you're on babysitting duty." I point out, smirking with pursed lips and raised knit eyebrows. The two of us burst out laughing.

"Better than working with the League on this. They don't treat us as equals." He sighs, slowly taking his place closer to me, like before. "Well, what shall we do from the confines of this hotel room?" He asks, shifting his body to face me properly.

"We could order a food from room service and put on a movie." I suggest. He smiles.

"What ever you want to do." He approves as I pick up the phone and call the front desk. He gets up, his actions indicating checking the security of the room.


	9. Chapter 9

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Wayne Tech**

**Wednesday, November 24, 2010 **

My test results with the Lab rats are promising. So far, I'm curing nine out of ten rats with my cancer burning nanotech. This means that in week or two, I can begin a clinical trial with larger animals. There are plenty of animals in captivity that are dying of cancer and their owners are desperate for a cure. If that goes well, I can begin with humans, but for now, I'm monitoring the rats to see their states long term.

"This is impressive Ms. Grey. I hope to see more promising things from you." Mr. Fox says as he walks through the lines of rat cages with the recovering animals.

"Thank you. I'm glad that you're pleased with my work." I thank him, making sure to be extremely respectful since he is the reason I'm in this program.

"I'll be checking back in on you when you begin the next set of trials. Keep up the good work." He says before exiting my lab. I revert to the menial labor by beginning to care for the rats, changing the newspaper in the bottom of their cages, feeding them, even putting some of the same gender together to be social since that is their natural state. After a while, someone else enters the lab. I assume it's one of the other candidates.

"Marcus, if you're here to get that microscope I borrowed, I already put it back in your lab." I say to the person as I set down the rat I was holding.

"Well I think this stuff you're doing is amazing." Someone says, he isn't Marcus. I turn around to see who it is before peeling off my gloves and approaching them with haste.

"Roy! What are you doing in Gotham?" I ask with a happy tone, usually it's been me visiting him in Star City. We hang out quite a bit now.

"I decided to see what you were up to in the Lab." He looks around at my charts and calculations on the boards around the room. "So this is what curing cancer is like?" He asks with a big grin on his face.

"Yeah, the rats are pretty happy that I'm letting them hang around. Actually gave them cheese today." I begin to laugh and he goes to pet a rat and I bites him. I get the antiseptic handwashes and help him clean his hand since rats are major carriers of disease. I imagine just looking up to see him staring at me the way he did that night in the hotel room. He was the first face I saw when I woke up in that precinct in Star City. He was the one that brought me home, and I'm drawn to him. But he may not see me that way, so I don't want to ruin this relationship that we have gained.

"You know, it's almost four. We could go to a restaurant and get something to eat." He offers. I get moment of hope before it is dashed.

"I have training with the team. Black Canary said training is mandatory." I tell him as I look at the floor. I don't want to say it but I do have priorities.

"It's the day before Thanksgiving and Black Canary and I are friends. It'll be fine if you miss just one day." Roy convinces me, a smile growing on my face.

"Alright then, let me finish up and we can go." I tell him, thinking to myself about how happy I am that I wore a nice outfit. Grey knit sweater dress, black tights and black ankle boots. I put all the rats in their individual containment units modified to monitor their vitals, then proceed to save all my data recorded today. "I'm gonna clean up a bit to make sure I don't bring anything home with me. I know I can't sick but others can." I tell him.

"Just don't take too long." He smiles as walk into the private bathroom and take a quick breather. My makeup is simple and hasn't been messed up today. I scrub up to my elbows before pulling my sleeves back down. I make sure my bun is perfect before exiting the little bathroom to put on my coat and grab my bag. "Shall we?" He asks, offering his arm to me. I feel something ignite inside myself.

"Let's go." I smile at him with a new confidence as I take his arm and we walk out of the lab and out of the building. He hails a cab and we get in. I have absolutely no idea where we are going, but I don't care. When the cab stops and we get out, it's a little hole in the wall greek restaurant in an interesting part of town. The two of us go inside and a hostess brings us to a booth.

"Olly took me here one time when he brought me with him on a business trip. It's pretty good." He has a little smirk as he looks at me past his menu. I try not to look at him, so I'm staring down at my menu, only realizing after the fact that I was biting my lip.

"Well then, Katniss, what do you think you're gonna order?" I try to be funny to relieve the stress of this. I don't know if this is a date or not but it's making me nervous.

"I don't know, sparky, I'm thinking the Lamb Chops. What about you?" He slips in a little retaliating, getting me to laugh slightly.

"I'm thinking the Pork Chops." The words just roll out of my mouth, gaining a strange look from Roy.

"Chops… great minds think alike." He grins, continuing through the menu. Probably for an appetizer or something. After a bit of jokes and things, a waiter takes our order and we are just sitting, and talking.

"So I really think we should really make this a regular thing." I say mindlessly as I tear a piece of bread in half and butter it.

"What? Making dates a regular thing? I thought that implied." He says and I freeze. He said it. This is a date! I can't help but laugh. "What's so funny?" He seems confused, he obviously should be because I'm definitely acting weird.

"Sorry, I wasn't sure if this was actually a date or not. You just said it was so I'm actually kinda relieved that I won't mistake this for something that its not, and I was really nervous about screwing this up and you have no Idea how nervous I actually was and..." He gives me this look like I know I'm doing something stupid but he's amused by it. "Sorry, talking to fast. It's a bit much." I look down and take a sip of my drink, trying to let myself relax so I can enjoy this official date.

"I don't mind." He smiles and I just feel really good in this moment. I feel even better when our food shows up. It's just us, on a date, eating chops, laughing and making fun of eachother.

"So, I have to ask, did you at any point, realize that you and your mentor are christmas colors?" I put out there randomly, Roy just snorts a little and covers his mouth with a fist, silently laughing.

"Yes, that came up a few time. But do you even know what you're gonna call yourself? You can't exactly go prancing around as Sparky or Tech Nerd. Could be kinda funny if you called yourself WATT-son." He jokes. I actually think about what I would be called for a second. I've barely thought about a superhero name.

"I actually don't know what I could be called." I confess as make a face. Roy goes into a near "Thinker" pose, squinting his eyes at me like he's concentrating.

"You could be Supercharge, or Shockwave… you could go simple and just be the Spark." He genuinely suggests names and I get ideas myself.

"Or Cybershock, Electromag, maybe Tesla." I really think about that last one. Roy gets kind of confused.

"Like Nikola Tesla?" He asks, probably thinking I want to be named after some science guy, but that's not it.

"No, like the SI unit of magnetic flux and density." I say as I move the metal fork in his hand with a thought. He gives me an impressed look.

"Well, no matter what you choose, everyone will like you. Everyone gets excited whenever there is a new female hero." He tell me, meaning will but that last part gets to me a little.

"Why, skimpy and risqué costumes?" I ask with an eyebrow raised, he is taken aback by my remark. I guess I didn't get why he said that.

"No, the equalists for gender equality." He smiles as I begin to understand. "Note I didn't say feminists. Like the misogynists, they want more of their gender than the other. Equalists want balance, and I agree." He states as He begins to eat his meal again. I'm just sitting across from him, amazed. He has the ideology that in my personal opinion is amazing to hear coming from a guy, he's perfect in and of himself, and the only impressive thing I've done on this date was identify a friggin SI unit.

"You are one hell of a guy." I say under my breath, a smile growing on my face. Roy looks up at me after he swallows his last bit of food.

"What did you say?" He asks, I just look up with him with doe eyes, and look back down at my near empty plate with a smile.

"Nothing." I say quietly. He lets it go and after a bit, the waiter comes and Roy orders us Baklava. The sweet little pastries pull us into an even better mood than before. We eat, we laugh, we talk, we finish, the bill comes. I offer to pick up the tab but Roy won't let me. As much as I try to take the bill anyway, he snatches it away faster than I can grab it. All I can do, is stick my tongue out at him in protest, channeling my inner five year-old. I get this odd satisfaction when it makes him laugh. As soon as he gets his card back, we put our coats on and head out. As we walk outside, we end up in this little park, the night sky clear enough to see the moon. There may not be any visible stars, but the lights of downtown shine just as bright.

"I think next time we should go dancing." Roy says as he grabs my wrist and twirls me around, causing an involuntary giggle.

"What, you actually think I can dance?" I laugh at him, the tips of his red hair lit up in the moonlight, his blue eyes gleaming with content.

"I don't care if you can dance or not, it'll be fun." He gives me a half smile as he slips his large hands into mine. When his warm hands meet my cold, I feel like my insides are warming up, not just my hands. I shake my head and he gives me a look.

"Well then, we can go dancing." I give in to him. He smiles in accomplishment and twirls me around once more, but this time he twirls me back into him. This is where the two of us get quiet. The our radiant smiles fade from view as I stare at his fathomless eyes staring back at mine. I become more aware of him, his hands on my waist, the slow rising and falling of his chest beneath my palms. I feel him slowly pull me in closer, closing what little gap we had left between us. I'm forced to look straight up at him, this would be a lot easier if I was taller, but unfortunately, he's still slightly over a foot taller than me. Roy removes one of his hands from my waist to my upper back. My arms wrap around his neck the best they can. I go on my tip toes and he slowly brings his face down to mine.


	10. Chapter 10

****Note: Ronnie is 16, will be 17 in 2011**

* * *

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Gotham**

**Thursday, November 25th, 2010**

Roy walked me home last night, kissed my forehead goodnight before I watched him head to the zeta tube. I made sure my parents didn't see him. I don't want them to meet him yet. For right now, I have him all to myself without people pestering me for details. It makes everything a whole lot easier. That kiss, may not have been Roy's first, but it was mine and it was one hell of a first kiss. I now know what it means to experience _fireworks_ and that heat I felt with him before, has been intensified by the experience. But right now, I'm sitting at the table with my family with their guests. There are three other families, slightly larger than ours at our massive dining room table. All eating my father's turkey, all but me.

"You okay, Veronica? You've hardly touched your food." My father addresses the current pile on my plate. I snap out of my daydreaming.

"Y-yeah I'm fine." I look down with a smile on my face, beginning to shovel the room temperature food in my mouth. Some of the people give me sideways glances and my parents just shake it off. Everyone here is awkward around me because they know I was missing for those twenty days and they are aware I attended the science programs' conference in Star City where two assassins attacked a room full of participants, including myself. I can't help but have a quiet laugh to myself. They all think I'm thinking about my trauma or they think I'm just off after the incidents. But in reality, I'm thinking about a fair skinned, fiery redhead guy that I can just get lost in his arms.

When I finally finish my plate of food, the pie is served and we all dig into the sweet and smooth texture of the pumpkin pie. I twist the forkful of pie in my mouth, ignoring the droning of the other two families around the table. I know my parents were happy to host, but this is supposed to be a family thing. What I wouldn't give to be at the Cave with the others. But this is where I'm supposed to be, with my parents. When everyone finishes their pie, things get moved to the living room. I manage to get the chair in the window, so I just lounge the best I can in my dress and tights without being inappropriate in front of the guests. After a bit of talking, the doorbell rings.

"Veronica, would you be a doll and answer the door? Carol is in the middle of her story." My mother looks to me. I nod and get up, walking out of the room and into the front hall. Without even thinking, I just open the door, and to my surprise, it's a familiar face.

"What are you doing here?" I hiss at the man, taking a defensive stance in preparation for his attack. This man was my handler, the one who brought my to the warehouse, my kidnapper.

"I thought I would pay you a visit, _little girl_." He says in a grumbling tone that reverberates to my core. He tries to side step inside, but I cut him off and send a shock through his body.

"I did my research, _Sportsmaster_, I know who you are." I spit at him, he only gives a smile, Like he is impressed with my amount of knowledge after being the helpless little girl that he had to shoot to keep down.

"In my civvies and everything. You must have been tracking the scientists and I non stop." He says, getting closer, but he stops when my fists clench and the metal railing of the front porch creaks and groans in my current alteration in the surrounding magnetic fields.

"Leave now, or I bring you to the league." I glare at him. He just laughs.

"Why not just choose the latter? You know you want to." Sportsmaster taunts me.

"Oh, your time will come, don't worry. But I'm giving you the choice, leave, or be crushed." I threaten, electricity visibly escaping my hands. I hear someone coming up behind me.

"Veronica? Who's at the do-" she stops and stares at my hands. I glare back at her.

"Mom, go back into the living room and do not say a word. I will take care of this, but if I tell you to run, you run." I tell her quietly as to not alert the people in the living room. She just re-composes herself and walks back to the living room. I shut the door behind me and begin to close the space between Sportsmaster and I while keeping a defensive stance.

"You think you can go one on one with me? I'm sorry but that is pure stupidity." He laughs, taking his own stance. Just like Canary taught me, I make the first move to dictate the fight. But, that may not help me since he isn't a teacher and won't let me try again. I kick him in the face but he uses my momentum to put me on the ground. I electrocute the hand touching my leg and get back up, sending a right hook at his face, somehow I managed to catch him off guard with this. In retaliation, he goes for a quick jab undercut, but to my surprise, everything slows down.

The experience is like in the mall before the bomb exploded. As sportsmaster swings at me in slow motion, I step to the side with ease, watching him stumble as the hit goes past me. I grab the back of his neck and throw him up against the brick wall of the house. He reaches back and it continues to be in slow motion, his hand flying past my face. I don't know what is going on but I'm fine with this. I swing my leg around and kick Sportsmaster to the ground. I somehow slip out of the slow motion and he pulls me down with him. I emit electricity but he just fights it, gritting his teeth.

"See, little girl? You can't beat me." He strains as I electrocute him. After a few minutes of my in his choke hold, fighting to keep consciousness, someone tackles him off of me. The girl in green and the mask kicks him in the face and I cough and sputter on the ground, getting my breath back.

"You are disobeying orders! Boss made it clear not to engage!" The messy haired woman says as she continues to beat him. I'm completely confused. Sportsmaster catches her leg and throws her.

"It's bad for my rep if I don't continue to cause fear in my marks, _Cheshire_." He states, spitting her name. The two face off as I continue to mull over my confusion.

"This isn't about your rep and you know it! After all those years being raised by you, I know what's going through that thick skull of yours! Now, stand down!" The woman yells. She sees me stand up and throws daggers at me, probably to pin me, but I focus on the metal and stop them mid air, letting them clatter to the ground.

"Last warning, Sportsmaster. Leave now, and you'll get off scott free… for now." I call over to him. He is in my neighbor's front yard.

"Get out," Chesire snaps at him, "_Now_!" She yells in a commanding voice.

"Until next time, little girl." Sportsmaster says as he and Cheshire run. This is my moment. I run back inside and up to my room to my computer. I put my hand on the machine and focus, calling out to the thousands of power lines, electronics and machines all over. They all emit electric pulses, traffic cameras giving me eyes on the streets. I cybernetically stalk the two assassins. After twenty minutes or so, the two of them end up in an alley, pulling what I recognize as a boom tube. Before they can use it, I lock onto it's energy signature as to continue tracking them. When they disappear and reappear somewhere else in the world, I track them too Taipei. That's it, no more waiting. I guess they've run out of time, because they are employed from there. I have a target.

I get changed into my hero uniform and mask, the thermodynamic fabric absorbing some of my extra currents of electricity, warming me up in preparation for the autumn weather and whatever weather I'm about to experience in Taipei. I open my window and take hold on the different magnetic fields around me to levitate myself out the window and into the sky. The sun is setting, so I have perfect cover with my dark uniform. I propel myself forward through the sky, finding the zeta tube and taking it to the asian city.

Now that I'm here, I'm honing in on the location. Like in Gotham, I take hold of the magnetic fields here and throw myself into the air, finding the next fields to transport myself as I go along, like following a current. I've been waiting for this, to take them down. I don't even care that it's been a little over a month of training. I'll be able to take everyone down with a strong enough burst of energy. When I finally stop right outside the structure that Cheshire and Sportsmaster are inside, I can't believe it, this is a base for the League of Shadows.

I lie in wait in the trees. When I can't see anything, I move closer and hide on the roof on the outer wall of the compound. I see people but I can't hear what they are saying, so I reach to the holo computer on my wrist and send a message to the nearest electronic device to be my ears.

"You disobeyed my orders, Sportsmaster, and it is not the first time that this has occurred under my employment." The greying man in the high collared, green cloak. I analyze his face and sift through online files for his identity. _Ra's al Ghul_.

"I apologize, it won't happen again." Sportsmaster promises, but the connection to the electronics in the vicinity emitting energy waves pick up a change in his heart rate. He's lying and he's going to come back for me.

"I was fortunate to have an operative at my disposal that knows you as well as she does, or you would have damaged the plans completely. Mr. Luthor would be very displeased." Ra's speaks in a forceful and condescending tone to Sportsmaster, giving me satisfaction. I'm nearly ready to make my move, hundreds of volts of pent up energy inside for the right moment, but someone emerges into the courtyard of the compound.

"Yes, and my displeasure is not something to be sought out, Lawrence." A bald man in a suit has this threatening tone that passes through me, but my focus remains in tact. I recognize him as Lex Luthor. _Why is he here?_

"My apologies, Luthor." Sportsmaster smirks as he looks at the ground. He's sick.

"But there is an upside to you mistake, you seem to have baited the specimen." Ra's states, this is a point where I freeze in my tracks. I see shadows running at me on the slanted roof of the compound's wall. In a defensive retreat, I jump of the roof, two distinct cracks sounding from my legs. I run through the pain as I heal. Multiple shadows throw knives at me, but like earlier with Cheshire, I stop them all mid-air, but this time, I re direct all of them. Some hit the deck, others dodge and keep running. I get as close as possible to Lex and Ra's before physically exhibiting electric currents all over my body. This much energy, I feel my insides burning and healing on repeat.

"Halt, assassins!" Ra's al Ghul commands as I stand before him, just about ready to burst. I don't even care that he thinks he is going to preserve his precious assassins. I take a stance as I prepare to release all of the energy I have built up inside, but someone yells.

"Ronnie! No!" I hear as an arrow with red tips flies into the ground next to me with a rope attached. I see Roy zipline in next to me, dressed up in his Red Arrow uniform. I hold in the energy and watch him come between me and Ra's.

"Red, get out of here! I'm handling this!" I yell at him as I fight to contain the energy, waiting to use it on the co-conspirators.

"This isn't the right thing to do! You could end up killing them!" Roy yells at me, hoping I'll back off.

"These two are the reasons I was ripped apart, I can't just let that go!" I'm on the verge of tears. The wet anger is the only thing I'm holding onto right now to fight the pain and keep hold of the energy.

"Ronnie, let me get you out of here." He looks me dead in the eye, his face illuminated by my electricity. The tears are falling and the pain is growing.

"Okay." I whisper to him and almost immediately, I crouch, slamming my hands into the ground, channeling everything I have into the ground. The ground shakes as I release everything I have, a scream escaping my lips as everything slips away from me, even my consciousness as I crumple to the floor, Roy reaching for me and carrying me out of the compound, everyone around us is frozen from the events that just unfolded.

****A few hours later****

When I come too, I'm back home in my bedroom. I bolt straight up in bed, looking around the room only to see Roy sitting across the room, looking right at me. I pull myself out of bed, glaring at him as I walk to my closet. I'm still in my uniform and there could still be people around the house. When I emerge in a fresh pair of pajamas, he is standing with his arms crossed.

"Are we gonna talk about this or are you just going to walk around in a temper?" He asks with an eyebrow raised. I push back my hair with both hands in stress.

"I had them, and you got in the way." I snap at him, he seems surprised that I even said anything.

"You could have killed them, you're supposed to be a hero." He defends, I know he's trying to make me feel like I make a mistake. We are drifting closer.

"If you had experienced what I did then you would have gladly killed them." I retaliate, clenching my fists to hold back the full extent of my infuriation.

"You're not a killer, Ronnie. If you went through with it, it would have eaten away at you." He tries to convince me as the two of us are know face to face.

"I wanted my revenge and you stood in the way of that!" I shout at him, awkwardly looking up at him because of the dramatic height difference.

"What you need is _justice_. I will gladly help you get that, but the minute you decide to start _murdering people_, I'm out." He raises his voice. I don't know what to say, but I look at his stupid face and my furious expression fades and I jump up and he catches me, the two of us locked in a kiss. He holds me up by my thighs as my legs wrap around his waist, my arms wrapped around his neck.


	11. Chapter 11

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Gotham**

**Friday, November 26th, 2010**

It's past midnight and Roy and I are up and active. I'm in a good place right now, distracted, carefree, laying underneath Roy in my pajamas on my bed. Everything feels right, his wandering hands, the kissing, the heat, it's just perfect. Not even a sound around the house, my parents fast asleep. Trust me, I checked. Roy's light touch runs over a spot on my side and I can't help but pull out of the kiss to laugh.

"Please tell me I didn't kill the mood." He says quietly, sitting up off me.

"Maybe," I taunt him. He seems defeated but I reach up and pull him back down to me. It soon ends again and I can't help but struggle to stay awake.

"I should probably go home and leave you to it then." He says, getting ready to get up off the bed, but I grab his wrist.

"You could stay here, with me." I pout, not wanting to be separated from him. He sits at the edge of the bed, look back at me. He probably knows I'm borderline delirious from exhaustion.

"And I could get you in trouble with your parents if they see me here." He reminds me. I just groan and with a flick of my wrist the metal in the door locks. He just laughs and lays back down. The nice part, is that the two of us just lay there, him flat on his back and me curled up with my head on his chest instead of a pillow. I fall asleep to the steady rhythm of his chest rising and falling with each breath.

* * *

The sun creeps through the grey curtains over my window, the single line of light right on my face, the heat causing discomfort. I open my eyes, the first thing I see is Roy's t-shirt. I sit up and brush all of my wild hair over to one side with my fingers. Roy stirs slightly. I don't want to wake him, so I tread carefully so as not to make noise as I go into my bathroom and quickly brush my teeth. As soon as I climb back into bed, my comm beeps, Roy's eyes squint open before he buries his head into one of my pillows, just like any other teenager would.

"Tesla." I answer. I finally decided on the name, going with the SI unit. Robin and Kid Flash thought it was pretty cool and creative since my primary offensive ability is electrokinesis.

"Training today, and try to convince Roy to join while he's over there." I hear Canary say. I'm taken aback.

"How did you-" I begin to question but she cuts me off with her answer.

"Green Arrow and I are friends. When Roy doesn't come home, Green knows where he is. Last night, it was with you." She says calmly and almost humorously. I fell completely and utterly embarrassed.

"I promise we didn't do anything stupid and I will be at training, and if I can, I will bring Roy with me." I tell her completely worried of sending the wrong idea. The line cuts and I turn to face Roy, still covering his head with one of my pillows. Before doing anything, I slip out of my bedroom and check the house for my parents, all I find is a note.

_Ronnie, Your mother and I are at a brunch with the other partners at the firm. Be back sometime after noon._

I return to my room and yank the covers off of him and jump on him, straddling his waist.

"Goodmorning." Roy says to me and I lean down to kiss him.

"Alright sunshine, I'm gonna go make some breakfast. My parents are out so it's safe to leave my room." I tell him, giving him one more kiss before climbing off and going downstairs. Lucky me being a technopath and magnokinetic, cooking is never hard, I can be super lazy and still manage since every tool in the kitchen that I need is metal, especially tongs and metal wires that I can use to carry non metallic items like food. Before Roy makes it downstairs, I've managed to make four waffles with the two presses on the kitchen counter. I'm even in the middle of frying some bacon when he walks in.

"How do you manage to do all of this in ten minutes?" He asks, ripping off a piece of one of the waffles and taking a bite. I walk over to the refrigerator and pull out the orange juice, pouring it into two glasses.

"It's not that hard, we usually have pre-made waffle mix in the fridge and the rest is pretty simple." I tell him as a fork turns over the pieces of bacon and moves them around the pan. I pull out the syrup from the fridge and pour it on the freshly buttered waffles.

"Well I think it's pretty impressive." He smiles as hand him his orange juice and plate of waffles. We sit down at the table and begin to eat what is already prepared.

"So, I have training later today and was wondering-" He puts a hand up to stop me mid sentence.

"If this has anything to do with coming to train with the team, absolutely not." He states simply between bites of his waffles, his blue eyes hardening with slight resentment. I laugh.

"Oh, you're coming." I say nonchalantly as I continue to eat. He puts his fork down and I know he is staring at me.

"And why would I?" He asks with an eyebrow raised. The bacon smells like it's finished so I will the pan to come to us and divvy up the pieces among the two of us.

"You are going to come and help train me, maybe I'll gain better control if I'm training with someone new." I look at him this time, waiting for an answer as I take a bite of my bacon. He just smirks.

"We can train somewhere else than the cave." Roy starts on his own bacon. I may not be able to convince him, but I sure as hell will try.

"Just join the team, it can't harm your chances of getting into the League. Might even put you on better terms, be the step closer that you need." I put the idea out there. He stops eating and everything goes completely silent in the kitchen, but only for a moment. I take the opportunity, getting up from my chair and sitting on Roy's lap, leaning close and my arms around his neck.

"I'm not going to join the team." He looks me square in the eye, but I just lean in and kiss him. It shifts from my control to his when he deepens the kiss, but I take the power back when I pull away from him.

"Join the team, please." I hold his face in my hands, "for me." Roy doesn't seem to think twice before pulling my back into that kiss, maybe to distract me, or maybe to give me his answer. It's becoming mind numbing and seductive, so I assume he is trying to distract me, so I pull away again and look him in the eye with slight agitation.

"Fine. I will come with you today, but it doesn't mean I'm joining the team." He finally admits. This time, I let him pull me back in, let that mind numbing feeling wash over me. His wandering hands remind me of last night. For the last time, I pull away. I get up off of him, put the dishes away, grab his arm and take him back upstairs to my room.

"Parents won't be back home for a while longer." I say as we enter my bedroom. I pull his shirt off of him and he bends down slightly to kiss me. I feel his perfectly sculpted body beneath my hands. I feel Roy's hands find their way to the hem of my shirt, pulling it over my head. My skin against his is a whole new feeling. We move so Roy is against the wall, the two of us shirtless. But the scenario switches when he picks me up and keeps me up by my thighs. He turns so my back is up against the wall. My hands run through his red hair and over his body, feeling the perfect muscles on his upper body. We move off the wall and Roy puts me down on the bed. He reaches for my shorts, but the two of us hear a knock at the door. We both run to get shirts on and I rush to put on a real pair of pants. We run down stairs, and I open the door to two police officers.

"Veronica Grey?" The one on the left asks. The other eyeballs Roy. I nod.

"Yes, is there something I can help you with, officers?" I address the two of them, standing aside as to invite them in. They enter and look around before facing me.

"There was an accident, we are to bring you to your parents." One says, the words hang in the air like a fog. I begin to go from euphoric to nauseated. "I have to ask who your friend is for the record." He speaks again, but slightly cautious after watching my change in facial expression after his statement.

"Right," I look to Roy, having trouble believing the situation. "This is Roy Harper. I-I have to ask you, where are my parents?" I look to the police officers, getting extremely nervous to the point where I reach to Roy to steady myself.

"Ma'am, we came to get you because you are a minor and we need you to identify them down at the morgue." The other officer just puts it right out there, no emotion in the statement at all. The other seems sympathetic. But it's only identification right? It's probably not even them. I seem to calm down.

"Just identification?" I ask for confirmation, the first one nods and I look at the floor. "Might not even be them." I whisper in a low tone. I go to the front closet and slip on a pair of shoes and pull on my coat. Roy grabs his jacket and runs upstairs to get my phone as I tie my shoes with the police officers standing patiently by the door.

"Your friend is joining us in the police cruiser?" One of the Officers asks. I nod as we all walk out the door and I lock it.

"I'm not going anywhere without him." I say in a low tone as Roy and I get in the back of the police car. The two officers get in up front after us and the car gets moving. I watch the scenery roll by as I wait to get to the morgue. I just want to get in and get out.

"Ronnie," Roy tries to get my attention but I just put my hand up to silence him.

"It's not going to be them. I'll see my parents when I get home." I tell him this without breaking my gaze out the window. Roy stays silent. When the car finally pulls to a stop, I feel this pit in my stomach, like I'm losing hope, but I'm completely sure that they won't be my parents. It would be ridiculous. We just had Thanksgiving, I saw them less than sixteen hours ago. They are my only family and there is no way that I've lost them. Not like this. The last thing I said to my mother was to run if I said so, that is no way to say goodbye. I'm gonna see her and my father when they get home. This is just going to be some random couple and I'm not going to have any problem.

The police officers lead me and Roy through the precinct and the labs down to the morgue. There are two bodies on two metal tables, each covered in a kind of tarp. Everything slows down as the pathologist pulls the tarps down from the faces of the two bodies. I walk up to the bodies and look at each blue face, my own hand flying to my mouth. The woman, with the split lip and gashed forehead, is unmistakably my greying mother. Then, all hope is shattered when I look at the next body. Despite the facial bruising and the snapped nose, it's still my father on that table. The tears just begin to fall, like water works, dripping from my jaw to the floor. I look to the pathologist.

"Can they be signed over to my custody? I can get coffins and plots as soon as possible, I just need to be able to take them." I tell them, they just look at me as the tears fall.

"You are a minor. You and your parents have to be released to next of kin." The pathologist says blatantly. I can't help but glare at her, she has no idea.

"There is no _next of kin_. Both parents were single children and all four of my grandparents died a while ago. It's just me." I snap, looking at her with anger. She just sighs.

"There is the option of foster care, or adoption. Emancipation could be achieved, but that is a lengthy and difficult process if all family is deceased. Your best hope is if your parents gave your custody to someone in their will, which is being delivered by the family lawyer at the moment." She states emotionlessly to me. I look back at the bodies and the tears intensify. I'm alone, the last one left of my family.

"My parents are dead, and you're saying that I can't do anything until a stupid piece of paper gets here, and I might have to be taken in by some strangers? All because I'm a _minor_?" I look the pathologist in the eye and it all hits me in a wave. I collapse on the floor, just crying. I sit on the floor, leaning on one hand and the other covering my mouth the muffle the sobs. Roy kneels down next to me and pulls me into his chest, the embrace barely muting the pain happening inside. After Roy finally gets me up and into a chair, about ten to fifteen minutes and the lawyer shows up. I watch the pathologist, the two officers and the lawyer go over the document, all of them looking at me simultaneously when they finish.

"Ms. Grey," the lawyer begins, "your family's entire estate has been left to you, and as for your personal being," he looks at me with nervousness in his eyes. "As of October 17th, of this year, you have been left in the custody of Bruce Wayne here in Gotham." He announces and I am completely confused. _October 17th was the day I met Bruce and Mr. Fox. _Did he really think something was going to happen that I would need to be placed in his custody, of all people?

"I-I don't understand." I look at all of the adults in the room.

"He is being notified as we speak. An officer will return you and Mr. Harper to your residency." The pathologist says as the officer approaches to take Roy and I. We follow him mindlessly to a car. When we are dropped back at my house, it seems to big, to quiet. The place feels so empty now. But, I just go and find my communicator.

"Batman." Bruce answers. I'm shaking as I get ready to speak.

"It's m-me. You've been notified, and I know. But I just want to be home alone until tomorrow, please." I say into the comm link. There is a silence before I hear a response.

"I understand, I'll be over tomorrow morning." He says before the line goes dead. I just remove the comm and lay on my bed, the tears still flowing. Roy comes in and lays down next to me. We are face to face but I won't meet his eyes. His head brushes my cheek. I finally look into his fathomless blue eyes.

"Make me forget." I look at him, blinking the tears away. He looks at me in confusion.

"What?" He ask, scanning my face for something. I kiss him and start pulling off his shirt like before.

"Help me forget, Roy, please. Even if it's only for a little while." I half sob, pulling off my own shirt and sliding off my pants.

"I don't think this is what we should be doing after what's happened today." He says, trying to stop my but I grab his wrists with clear eyes this time.

"Roy, I want you to make me forget." I say in a just barely shaky tone. He stays still. "_Please_." I plead one last time. He sighs and gives in to my need of something to distract me from this empty house.


	12. Chapter 12

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Gotham**

**Saturday, November 27th, 2010**

_Case file: 4-8-15-16-23-42_

_Status: Unsolved_

_Location: Intersection of Broome St. and Lake Ave._

_Description: Victim A was driving when the vehicle was hit head on by an unknown driver in a black sudan. The car was slammed into a telephone pole. Victim A's head slammed into the steering wheel, Victim B went partially through the passenger side window. Both victims has multiple lacerations and abrasions, cause of death was the blunt force trauma caused by the speed of the impact by the unknown driver. Time of dea-_

"Ronnie," Bruce calls for my attention as he pulls my hands away from my laptop, "where do you go when you do that?" He asks in a soft voice that I've never heard before. I look up at him to see that his face has changed as well, no longer is it brooding and detached.

"Nowhere." I remove my hands from his and get up from the floor of the living room. "I should finish packing my stuff." I say without looking back at him.

"I used to read my parents file," he calls after me, stopping me in my tracks. "I've lost count how many times I've read it, but it changed me everytime I did. When I was eighteen, I tracked him down and held him at gunpoint for answers. When I found out that all he wanted was my mother's pearls so he could by some alcohol, I was ready to kill him for taking my parents away for nothing." He stays were he is in the livingroom. I pull myself together to face him.

"So," I begin bitterly, "did the Dark Knight kill the pathetic low life?" approach him with every word, tears welling in my eyes. He knows I want to hunt down that driver and find my own answers.

"I didn't, because I realize that my father would have never wanted me to become a killer." Bruce speaks with a resonation that burns through me. I just turn away before the tears fall.

"I'll go finish packing my room." I tell him in a near whisper before going to my room. I shut the door behind me and slide down. When I look to my bed, I remember yesterday. Even if it was for a little while, Roy helped my forget. He helped me detach from everything and it was nice while it lasted. But when it was all said and done, I could keep running from the problem. He stayed with me for a while after, we just laid in silence. This time, he didn't spend the night. I sat alone in my room until I fell asleep. My wakeup call this morning was Bruce ringing the doorbell.

From the floor of my room, I am nearly overwhelmed by it's disarray. With Bruce came boxes for me to pack up to move out of my house. All of my clothes are packed and the major necessities are in a duffle. All that's left to pack are the simple things like decorations and memorabilia. Starting with my desk, I unload drawer after drawer into boxes. I mindlessly grab a picture frame, but the photo inside catches my eye. It's one of those photos where no one knew I was taking it. It's my mother and father at the park. I let them walk ahead of me since they saw one of their friends. My mother's arm is linked through his and he is leaning in to kiss her cheek. I took this when I was nine on one of those disposable cameras that parents get their kids so they don't break a real camera. The anger of their death comes over and I can't help but throw the picture at the wall with everything I have. The glass shatters and the wooden frame breaks. I walk over to the mess and pull the picture out of the glass, taking it to the box and packing it inside.

It's not long before I've packed everything from my desk and I move onto the shelves. I don't even blink as I pack picture frames and old gymnastics awards. I don't want to think right now. I finish packing the whole room after about an hour. Almost as if me taping the last box shut was a que, Bruce knocks on the door and peaks into the bare room.

"I see that you're finished." He looks around as he stands in the doorway, trying not to overstep boundaries. "How about you grab your bag and we head out, the Alfred and the movers can take care of everything else." He steps to the side as to gesture for me to leave, eyeing the broken picture frame on the floor. I decide not to cause more trouble for him or myself, and just grab my duffle. He walks behind me as the two of us head downstairs. He reaches past me and opens the door, but I can't just walk out. I drop the bag.

"I just want to look around one last time." I say quietly as I start walking around the house. Despite the boxes and the sheets, I can still see the memories from this place. Never having lived anywhere else, there are a lot of memories to be sorted through. I remember movie nights with my parents in the living room, cooking with my mom in the kitchen, my dad helping me with my gymnastics in the backyard when I was eight, even the little things like the helping me with projects and giving me books to read. I remember when we first discovered my abilities, first with a tumble down the stairs, then with a few mishaps with my electronic playthings. Nearly burned this house down those first few years. I caused blackouts more often than not at that time, but they still give me and hug and a kiss, still tucked me in at night. I stop in my tracks when I get to the upstairs hallway. The shut door to my parents' bedroom beckons for me to open it, but I don't know if I should. If it stayed the way it was, maybe it'll preserve their memory better. But I can't hold onto a maybe. I open the door and look inside. The beige and white room is still as pristine as if my mother had just cleaned. If you look carefully at the bed, you can make out the depressions in the mattress from where they used to sleep. But I can't linger in here. I leave to room the way I found it, and walk back down to Bruce, who is waiting at the door.

"Ready to go?" He asks, grabbing my bag from the floor and opening the door once again. I nod and we go to the car waiting for us outside. I completely zone out as Bruce tells the driver where we're going. The car moves, and it takes a while for it to finally come to a stop. Stepping out of the car, I'm overwhelmed by the vast property and massive manor. I follow Bruce up the front steps and through the massive double doors. What I'm having trouble with, is the sheer size of this place. Bruce leads me up a rather wide set of marble stairs to the fourth floor of the place. I don't get how one man, a teenage boy, a butler, and now me, handle living in such a large building. I was fine with just a two story brownstone with my parents, but this is too much.

"Your room is just this way." Bruce says as we turn down a hallway. "It used to be one of the guest rooms, so it's a bit plain but you can have free reign over making it your own." He says as he opens the door. The all white room, like the rest of the house, is on the rather large side. The four windows all overlook the back of the estate, a little door in the middle allows me access to a small balcony. The all white furniture is slightly worn at the edges to give it all an antique look. Even the four post bed frame seems so regal for a seventeen year old girl from Gotham. But, I guess this is home now, so I turn to Bruce.

"It's perfect," I stay slightly quiet, "thanks, for everything you're doing." I tell him as I put down my bag.

"Just tell me or Alfred if you need anything. Dick will be home soon and whenever you're ready, Alfred will give you a tour of the place." Bruce say before leaving me. "Oh and your boxes from your room will be here later today." He calls back from down the hall. With that, I shut the door to my new room go outside on the little balcony, sitting on the ground with the wind going through my wild mess of hair. I look up at the sky, watching the grey clouds roll across. I gain a little peace as I let my mind run blank, listening to the rustle of trees in the wind. That peace suddenly fades when my mind drifts to my mother and father. But in the midst of this, I feel something. When I hone in on it, I'm seeing things in my head. First it's one text message, from Roy, asking me how I'm doing. Then it's images and files opening up on a desktop, but the formatting reminds me of my holo computer, but the coding doesn't match my own. Soon, it expands to be multiple things at once, multiple browsers and things, but it soon fades. The emotions all return and hit me like brick wall, tears falling as I try to contain my sobs. When I fail at containment, I cover my mouth with my sleeve and do my best to muffle them. Finally, after a bit of sitting and fighting it, I regain my composure and go back inside to my room before the thunder and rain begin. Like clockwork, there is a knock on the door.

"Master Bruce sent me to check in on you, would you like me to take you on a tour of the house?" Alfred asks. I scan the face of the elderly butler before nodding.

"Sure, I guess now is as good a time as ever." I say as I follow him down the hall. As he leads me around, droning about the history of the house and grounds, but what really is interesting me is the buzz of energy I'm feeling as we go around the place. When we make it to the study, I feel a more direct connection, but I shake it off as we walk out. When we walk in front of the indoor gymnasium, I hear someone coming to us.

"Alfred?" Someone calls from a distance in the house. "Alfred?" They call again as they get closer. I recognize the voice.

"I am at the gymnasium, Master Dick." Alfred calls back to the young teenager. When he finally sees us, his face flashes grim at me for a split second.

"Giving her the tour, I see?" Dick asks with curiosity. I nod my head, Alfred steps forwards.

"Master Dick, I suggest you finish your homework before something arises." Alfred gives him a look and he flashes grim at me once again.

"Yeah, you're right. I've got patrol later today anyway." Dick begins to walk away. I watch him turn the corner and stride the other way. Alfred leads me to a few other rooms before taking me to the kitchen.

"While we are here, would you like something to eat, Miss Grey?" Alfred asks. I realize I haven't eaten at all today and it's almost five.

"Sure, thank you Alfred." I give him a smile to be polite, but it feels wrong to be smiling right now, so it doesn't stay. He begins making a kind of panini at the stove. I zone out as he cooks, trying to let my mind run blank again. As I lose focus, the lights flicker.

"Must be the storm." Alfred comments, but the lights continue to flicker. Seemingly more and more as I allow myself to lose touch with everything around me. In my head, pops my parents' file from the police. _The unknown driver…_ The file runs through my mind over and over. But I start to get agitated as other things fill my head like messages, emails, active desktops, radio and television broadcasts. It's even more that before. I snap out of it when I feel someone shaking my shoulders. I stare at Bruce with eyes wide as he is trying to get my attention. The lights stop flickering.

"Ronnie, do you know what you were just doing?" He asks me with urgency when he realizes that he has my attention.

"I… No…" I look at the floor in confusion. Alfred hands me a tissue and gestures to his nose. I touch the tissue to my face and it wipes but from below my nose. _That doesn't happen_.

"The entire city of Gotham and a few suburbs just blacked out. What were you doing?" He asks in a calmer tone. I'm so confused and becoming more and more nervous. It's been a day and I might already have another breakdown.

"I didn't mean to, I was trying to zone out, pull myself away." I try to explain. "I guess I pulled more than just myself." I look down at the floor in shame of not being in control of my abilities. But Bruce just sighs and stands up.

"It's not your fault, abilities like yours are tied to emotions, the stronger they are, the stronger you are." Bruce comments before giving me my space.

"Then I'll keep focus than." I mumble as alfred walks over and places the panini in front of me. I start eating and Bruce seems to not want to leave me alone. He sits in the chair across from me, first not doing anything until Alfred gives him a sandwich of his own. Not that I don't appreciate the company, but it makes me feel like he doesn't trust me to be on my own. The feeling is eased when Dick comes in and sits down next to me.

"Well, this is nice." Dick comments as we all eat our dinner.

"What do you mean?" I question with slight confusion. I see a little smirk forming on Dick's face.

"Family dinner." He says in a small voice. His words give me a small bit of reassurance. We all just sit in silence after that. I feel calm. But when I finish my food and return to my room and find the boxes of my stuff, it hits me again. To avoid breaking myself down, I start unpacking clothes, hanging them up in the large closet with the hangers Alfred left in there for me. I can't help but prolonge having to look at pictures and things by organizing the closet. First I sort by types of clothings, then seasons within those sections, then by putting them in the order of the color spectrum within the seasons. I slide open the drawers on the far wall and start putting away undergarments, pajamas and athletic clothing. When I get to putting my shoes in the racks and organizing them, I've wasted almost three hours in this closet. I can't prolong it anymore, so I start unpacking the boxes. Most of the stuff, I put in the closet just to store, the stuff from my desk end up in the new desk here and the bedside tables. I take one of the photos of me and a friend out of a frame and stick the picture of my parents in the park inside. I stick that picture on one of the bedside tables before slipping into some pajamas. For the first time, I open the door to the bathroom connected to my room. Its all white and accented with silver. I take my toiletries as put them away. The last thing I do, is brush my teeth and go to bed.


	13. Chapter 13

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Gotham Cemetery**

**Friday, December 3rd, 2010**

This is the longest day of my life. The sun is shining through fluffy white clouds in the sky, and the trees are rustling in the wind. As beautiful as it is, today is not a day to be acknowledged as beautiful. It took Bruce and Alfred nearly two hours to get me out of my room and ready on time, so here I am, sitting in a white chair and wearing a black lace dress and tights. My coat weighs me down in the chair as people pass by, leaving their seats to say their last goodbyes and leave flowers on the two coffins. There are women blubbering and men consoling them while wearing faces of sorrow of their own. There are other teenagers around, but I don't want to talk to anyone.

I try to distract myself by fiddling with my braid and looking at the picture I brought with me, but when I look up and see the two black coffins, a tear finally falls against my will. I've been trying to keep it together and look strong, but it's not working. My eyes are puffy and red, but at least my mascara isn't running. My mother wouldn't approve of not looking presentable at her funeral. She would want me to hold my head up high and say great things about her life. My father would want me to be strong and say he had a happy life. But I don't know what to say. I'll just have to get up there and improvise. I see the priest gesture for me to come up, but I am glued to my seat. Everyone else is sitting down around me, but I can't bring myself to get up. That is until Bruce puts a reassuring hand on my shoulder. I get up with him and he walks me to my place next to the coffins, in front of everyone. I begin to feel cold as he leaves me to return to his seat.

"Veronica will now say a few words about her late parents." The priest attempts to say pleasantly, but I can tell it's hard for him to say something like that at a time like this.

"I didn't plan a speech or anything for today and I don't think I ever wanted to. I wouldn't have known what to say when I got up here." I begin, everyone seems to look at me with pity and remorse. I look at the picture in my hands. It's the one of them in the park, holding hands and my father leaning in to kiss my mother on the cheek. "My mother and father were very much in love. No matter how late dad had to work or how challenging I was to them as a teenager, they were always happy with each other. They were so in love when they met, that only after a year of dating, they ran off to France to get married." The words just flow out. I'm just finding what I need to say. "When they had me, I was told that they didn't really know much about parenting, but I think they did just fine. I was always that kid running around disposable cameras, and one day, they took me to the park. I was walking behind them, taking pictures when I got the one picture that would capture their relationship with one picture. The sun was shining and they were walking hand in hand. The little kid me managed to take a picture of them right as my father was leaning in to give my mother a kiss on the cheek. When they developed my pictures and found this one," I stare at the frame in my hands, "it went straight on the wall until the day I asked to keep it on the desk in my room. My mother was pleased that I wanted it to keep in my room." I have to stop for a second and take a breath. "They loved me, took care of me, and at the end of the day, there was always a goodnight hug and kiss for each of them.

"I never got to thank them for being great parents. Now that I think about it, I wish I got to say goodbye. All I got was a ride in the back of a police car to identify them. So this is my goodbye." I look to the coffins as I speak, tears falling from my eyes and my voice breaking in the middle of words. "I'm sorry that you won't see me become an adult, that you won't see me graduate high school or college, or see if I change the world or just the city. I'm sorry I never said please or thank you when I should have. I'm sorry you'll never see me get married or have your grandchildren. But I promise that I will tell my future kids about you. How you were the best parents a kid could ask for. I'll tell them about your epic love story like fairy tale before bed. I'm sorry I never got to say goodbye in person. I'll always love and remember you, and there will always be a part of me that misses you." I've completely broken down. I hug the photo to my chest as I walk back to my seat. The priest begins to speak again but I can't focus. It's like the morgue all over again, but this time, it's the last time I get to say goodbye.

The next time I focus back on the funeral, the caskets are being lowered into the ground. Their new tombstones are completely visible now. As men begin shoveling dirt into the graves, people begin to leave. But I sit in my chair, waiting until they are completely buried, completely gone. Soon, it's just me and Bruce sitting in our two chairs. After a while, Bruce stands up.

"Come on, let's go home." He says in a quiet voice. I nod and stands up. He puts his arm around me and leads me to the car. I know he could have just had Alfred drive us, but he took the liberty to drive me himself today. Sure it's some fancy sports car, but its for me. He is doing so much for me that I don't know the right way to say thank you to him. When the car stops and we are home, I go straight to my room and lock the door. I walk to my closet and strip right down, putting on just a deep red skater dress and spandex underneath. I sprawl out on the new giant bean bag chair with a set of headphones. I plug them into my phone and veg out, blasting Avatar and Disturbed. After a while, I finally leave my room and walk down to the kitchen. I pull a tub of red velvet ice cream and and sit in a chair at the table, just eating ice cream out of the tub and listening to heavy music as loud as possible. I notice Dick walk in. At first, he stops like he is trying to assess the situation, then he just grabs a spoon and sits down across from me without a word. I put the tub between us and the two of us just eat the ice cream. Not a word spoken by either of us. When the tub is empty, I continue rummaging through the pantry and pulling out snack food. When Dick gets an alert on his phone and leaves the room, I take a back of chips, some salsa and a juice up to my room. I just sit on the floor of my room, snacking and listening to music. I begin to feel empty. I just said goodbye and I don't really know what to do with myself. The emptiness grows and becomes anger and sadness. I don't want to feel this. It's like this pain in my chest that doesn't want to go away.

To try and distract myself, I pull on a pair of shoes, grab my purse and head downstairs. As of a few days ago, I found out what that buzz of energy I've been feeling was. It was the Batcave. I head down there and find two zeta-tubes. I ignore the other things and just zeta to Star City. It's the middle of the day and no police scanners are picking anything crime related up, so I head to Roy's apartment. He got one away from Oliver since he's eighteen now and can start being independent. As soon as I'm on his floor and at his door, I knock. When the door opens, Roy just gives me one look and steps aside to let me in.

"How come you didn't tell me you were coming?" He asks in curiosity as the two of us sit back on his sofa, he seems to have been watching television.

"I don't know. I just needed to see you." I say as I shift on the sofa so I'm laying down with my head in his lap.

"That's okay, how was the funeral?" The question triggers something and my eyes begin to tear up. I sigh and think of the right answer to the question, but there isn't really a straight answer for this.

"I went, I spoke, they were buried, I left." It's all I can say about it right now.

"I would have gone and supported you if you had let me." He says in a serene voice, continuing to stroke my hair as the two of us watch tv.

"I know, but I needed to be strong on my own. Not that it worked out, but I still did it." I look up at him. Roy smiles down at me.

"You need a distraction. What should we do today?" He continues to stroke my hair, hoping I would find an answer for him.

"Your city, you pick what we do." I sit up and swing my legs across his lap, leaning my head on his shoulder. He seems to think about it for a minute.

"There is an ice cream parlor down the street. Why don't we go and from there we can figure out what else to do." He smiles, gives me a kiss on the cheek and the two of us get up. I follow Roy to down and out of the building. Just like he said, there is an ice cream parlor. I don't tell him that I've already had ice cream today, I just want to be with him right now. He orders a sundae with this weird choice of sour gummy worms as a topping. I get strawberry ice cream with muddy buddies and caramel on top. We sit in one of the booths, eating the ice cream and feeding each other bits of our own dishes.

"I love that we can do this." I say in a low tone before sticking another bite of ice cream in my mouth. Roy just laughs.

"That we can do what?" He asks, mixing the ice cream in his dish around.

"We can have dates literally anywhere, I'm not happy, I can come all the way to you in Star City. We feel european, we can go there. We want authentic oriental food, we can go right to the country of our choice. I can do all of that, with you." I take another bite of ice cream. He just smiles and puts his arm around me.

"Well it helps that we're superheroes." He whispers with a big grin. Seeing him like this makes my insides feel warm again after the events of today. I know it wont follow me when I go back home, but for now, in this moment, he makes me feel better. The two of us finish our ice cream and end up outside. I just follow him outside and we take a cab across town. When we emerge, he had taken me to the suspension bridge. We walk to the middle on the pedestrian walkway and look out over the water.

"How do you know exactly where to take me?" I ask as he comes up behind me, putting his arm around me, overlapping at my stomach. He kisses my ear.

"I'm just super lucky today. It was this or the park and we went there last time you were here." He jokes, trying to keep things light. I know he is doing this for my sake and it makes it that much more pleasing to me.

"It's beautiful here." I start to remember things as we stand. "The first time my father proposed to my mother, was on a bridge. Of course, that was in New York and she said no." I laugh. He holds me tighter, trying to make sure I feel secure.

"That actually pretty funny. How many times did he propose?" Roy asks with a slight laugh.

"Three." I smile, staring out onto the horizon of the ocean. "I miss them." I say quietly. He lets go of me and we start walking.

"I know. I'll do my best to help you, whatever you need." Roy says as he kisses me on the cheek. Instead of grabbing another cab to go back to his place, we walk the whole way. His arm is around me the whole time and it gives me this feeling underlying my remorse, a warm feeling against the cold pain. When we get a only a few blocks away, Roy's hand slides down my side, making our contact lights more intimate. When we get up to his apartment, I grab his arm and lead him into his room.

"You want to?" I ask, biting my lip, slowly walking him closer to the bed. He gets this look.

"Ronnie, that was a one time thing. It can't be like that anymore." He holds my face, but I just shake my head.

"Roy, I had a great day with you. It's been a week, and I don't want to forget. This has nothing to do with that. Right now, it's about you and me and what we should do next." I look right at him, linking my fingers with the front belt loops of his jeans. He gets a smirk.

"Fine." He says simple before kissing me. It's deep and passionate. I slip off my spandex from under my dress and he pulls off his shirt. It's all so fast. He lifts off my dress just after I slide his pants down. He lifts me up and lightly tosses me on the bed, me laughing as I arch in the air and flop on the bed. Roy comes after me and starts kissing my stomach and working his way up, my hands entangled in his hair.


	14. Chapter 14

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Mount Justice**

**Saturday, December 4th, 2010**

They said there would be a mission, so here I am, training with Kaldur in full costume. My hair is in a tight braid and my lips are painted black to give an illusion of intimidation. Every little bit helps when you are as scrawny as me. As I train with Kaldur, I fight with ferocity and speed. I found that when I hold a little extra charge, I can move even faster. Not like Kid Flash, but it helps in a fight. It also helps how easy it is to move in my shorts and boots. When I land a heavy kick in Kaldur's chest with a thud, he stumbles back a bit. I don't acknowledge the achievement, I just keep fighting. Kaldur sweeps my legs and I hit the ground. The simulation ends and he offers me his hand. I take it and he pulls me off the floor.

"You're bouncing back a lot faster than anyone anticipated." Kaldur comments as the two of us look at our scores. His is a whopping two thousand and seventeen. Mine is just seventeen hundred and ninety-three.

"I just try not to think about it." I comment in a low voice, touching my domino mask to make sure it is still secure. I hear the cave interface recognize Green Arrow and Red Arrow zeta-ing in. This is actually kind of confusing.

"Roy! What are you doing here?" KF runs in, right in front of the two archers.

"You'll find out when the rest of the team is here." Green Arrow says. Roy looks a little apprehensive about the situation. I walk up to him and pull him aside, receiving confused glances from Wally, Connor, M'gann and Dick. I see out of the corner of my eye that Zatanna has a small smirk on her face. He takes my hands into his.

"How are you feeling today?" He asks in a hushed tone, trying not to expose my business to the others. I step closer to him.

"It was a little rough earlier but I'll manage." I whisper. He gets a smile of satisfaction before discretely kissing me on the forehead. We separate when we hear the cave interface recognize Artemis. Green Arrow steps up.

"Artemis! Just in time. Look who's agreed to join the Team." GA gestures to Roy and Artemis gets this look.

"Finally!" Wally gets super excited. She begins to get aggravated.

"Sure, Team's needed a real archer." She snarks. Something's got her in a mood and it might not turn out well. Everyone else around us sees it too. Wally gets a face of worry, just like I am.

"Okay, people. Listen up." Green Arrow walks over to the holocomputer and starts working. "The Dynamic Duo's on a case in Gotham, but Batman gave me a heads up. Sportsmaster was spotted coming through Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport." He begins to brief us all. The fact that we are being briefed about Sportsmaster seems to strike a nerve with Artemis. Roy and I walk up to the computer, he looms over me with his arm and side of his torso touching my back.

"In full costume? Nervy…" Zatanna infers, staring blankly at the large, blown up picture of Sportsmaster.

"In street clothes." Green Arrow clears up. "Facial recognition software picked up the ID. Find out what he's up to." He orders. There seems to be a unanimous conclusion floating in the air.

"All of us?" Superboy questions. "Seems like overkill for a shadow job." He voices what we all are thinking.

"Perhaps a small squad? Miss Martian's camouflage abilities seem ideal." Red Tornado adds his thoughts to the pot for mission planning. But the look on M'gann's face suggests that she would rather be around with Connor than on a mission.

"Thought the sidekicks, sorry, _ex-sidekicks_ could suit up on this. Aqualad, Kid Flash, Red Arrow." Green Arrow says, Roy, Wally, and Kaldur getting looks of self satisfaction and excitement. They haven't been able to all three work together in a while.

"Good. Stakeouts make me crazy." Connor says emotionlessly, looking back at M'gann.

"We could use the night off." M'gann smirks, but Artemis looks up.

"I want in." Is all she says at first. Green Arrow gets ready to interject, but she comes up with her own reasoning and defense for coming of the mission. "With M'gann and Robin out, no one's logged more hours piloting the Bio-Ship." She get's a look of solidarity and an angry sense of self confidence.

"Artemis, are you sure?" Green Arrow asks her. He seems to be trying to get her to back off. We all know that she doesn't necessarily get along with Roy.

"Absolutely." She gets a new low tone of voice, her sharp mood may or may not be getting the better of her. Roy steps up.

"I'm all for it, but if Artemis is coming, I think Tesla should come too. We all know a technopath could come in handy for stealth with security systems and cameras." Roy tells Green Arrow. I'm taken aback that they want this to be my first mission, especially in my emotional and mental state. Green Arrow seems to think about it for a minute.

"Fine, you're right. It would be helpful for her to come along as well." Green Arrow gives in. Wally gets a big grin on his face.

"Yeah, Tesla. Finally running with the big dogs!" He laughs in celebration. Artemis snorts.

"I hope that doesn't mean you, wall-man." Artemis snorts as we all go and prep for the mission. Wally suits up in civvies and the rest of us just pack ours in a bag before we all go and board the bioship. It's weird for me to be inside a living machine. I've been learning to communicate with it with M'gann, so far it's been listening to my mental commands, but only when I have physical contact without any barriers like clothing. Artemis takes her place in the center and pilots us out of the bay doors. After a while, Roy, Kaldur and I go in the back, leaving Artemis and Wally in the main cabin. I help Kaldur and Roy move one of the motor cycles into it's dock to secure it.

"I gather you did not join the for the camaraderie." Aqualad infers as the bike locks into place.

"And not to please GA either. There's a mole on our Team, Kaldur. You don't wanna face it, so I will, and suspect number one is Artemis." Roy states in a low tone to avoid it reaching the main cabin. I sigh.

"You're still hooked on the mole thing?" I look at him. Kaldur does the same.

"We have to protect the team. If there is a mole, their activities need to be put to a stop." Roy reasons. I just let it go and we make sure all the other cargo and equipment is secure. We all return the the main cabin for the remainder of the flight. After a bit, Roy and I suit up in civvies. When the ship finally makes it to New Orleans Parish, we stationed ourselves accordingly. Roy and I are at the top of a hill in some brush. He spots Sportsmaster getting on a boat.

"Target's heading North." He reports into the radio as he and I sprint down the hill and get on our two jet skis. "Pursue. But maintain a discreet distance. And that goes double for you, Artemis. Sportsmaster's proven adept at spotting Martian camouflage, when in motion." He orders. It seems that Roy has taken the lead instead of Kaldur. We ride, staying far behind but still keeping Sportsmaster in sight. Kaldur is tailing the boat from beneath the surface of the water, Wally is on a motorcycle on the road along the bayou water and Artemis is flying after us in the Bioship.

"He's stopped." I report into the comm. Roy and I stop as well, watching Sportsmaster walk through the shallow water to shore.

"Hold your positions. I'm moving in, for a closer look." Roy declares, getting closer to Sportsmaster. He slings his bow and arrow onto his back and perches in a tree, watching the assassin. I notice a movement of blonde hair in the trees. Artemis is out of the Bioship. I can see her taken by surprise by something higher up in the trees. As soon as Artemis starts firing arrows, I climb off my jet ski and run to her aid. I recognize the assailant as Cheshire, but I only observe for a moment.

"Nice Canary teach you that?" Cheshire asks as she regains her footing. Artemis takes aim. "Bet you run out of arrows before I run out of sword! Unless you plan on breaking out the pointy ones, to use against your own sister." She taunts Artemis. I'm in shock by the revelation from Cheshire, but it's not my time yet to intervene.

"Why shouldn't I? You are working with Sportsmaster!"Artemis snaps, getting ready to fire her bow again.

"Not my choice! Not my call!" Cheshire retorts angrily. She gains a new stance with her swords. She remains in place.

"Then whose call is it?" Artemis interrogates as she gets a tighter grip on her shot at her own sister.

"Sorry Just because I know your secrets doesn't mean I tell you mine." Cheshire taunts. We all notice the sounds from Roy. He shoots a net at her and traps the assassin against the tree. "Why, Arrow. If you wanted another date, you only had to ask." She flirts as Roy loads another arrow. I'm starting to get irritated by her.

"You two are dating?" Artemis nearly screams at Roy, lowering her bow. But Roy just smirks.

"If I was dating Cheshire, someone would have noticed." He gestures to me. I give him a smile before returning to my glaring at Cheshire. She just groans in aggravation.

"Why deny the attraction? After all, Arrow, you're here." Cheshire taunts. I feel a radio wave coming from her mask. It's transmitting to Sportsmaster.

"I read you. Keep 'em busy." Sportsmaster replies, his position is by the train tracks.

"Roy! She's a distraction! Sportsmaster is at the tracks!" I alert him. He begins running without question. I detect a droid for a moment, maybe at the train. Cheshire escapes her trap and and attacks.

"Really, I'm so fond of you, both. I couldn't' bare to hurt you... much!" She throws her sword into the ground. She leaps forward and knocks Artemis on her feet. She throws little bombs at me but I deflect them by repelling the metal. I leap forward at Cheshire with my hands charged. I manage to get my palms to her temple and releasing a small enough charge to stun her. She crumples to the ground, twitching with energy. She must have a high tolerance if she is still conscious.

"Souvenir!" Wally calls as he runs up and picks up one of Cheshire's swords.

"Artemis, tracing arrow on Sportsmaster, now!" Roy yells as Sportsmaster makes his escape.

"He's out of range." Artemis gives up before even taking the shot.

"I got it!" I pull two discs from my belt, instantly designating them as trackers. I throw them as hard as I can and use my magnokinesis to make sure one lodges itself under the motor of the boat and the other attaches to the back of the boat, visible to be a decoy for the other.

"You're abandoning?" Artemis yells as Roy gets on his jet ski and begins pursuit of Sportsmaster.

"I'm prioritizing!" He yells as he follows the assassin. I see a briefcase on his boat so I try and focus on the contents, trying to identify it if it's technological. Just so happens that it is, but it's a small containment unit of something, organic.

"Aqualad: target's on me. So I'll take a dive. He'll think he's in the clear, and you can track him from below. We'll be right behind, using the tracer." Roy orders. I see Aqualad below the surface, trailing the boat. Sportsmaster throws an explosive at Roy and they just miss him but he takes his dive as planned. Soon, the boat stops and Sportsmaster walks to the back. He picks off the decoy tracer and drops it in the water to Aqualad, also dropping explosives. I do my best to keep the explosives away from Aqualad before they blow so it'll only look like a success. The boat speeds away but with my hidden tracker still on board.

"Aqualad!" Roy yells, hoping that the Atlantean is all right. I hold my breath, hoping I protected him well enough.

"Here." Aqualad says as he breaches the surface of the water next to Roy. Before I know it, Cheshire is waking up and attacking us.

"Tesla, Artemis, Kid, listen." Aqualad starts in the comm as we fight Cheshire, she dodges us mostly but she ends up focusing on Kid Flash.

"Leave him alone!" Artemis runs at her sister, swinging her bow in attempt to stop her. But she gets kicked away as quickly as she swung. Kid Flash runs up to her to make sure she's okay.

"Artemis!" He begins to worry, helping her sit up like she fragile or something. I see how worried he is, just like I would be for Roy.

"Forget me! What about-" Artemis freaks out before she realises her sister is gone. "Cheshire…" She looks around but there is no trace of where she went.

"Did you…?" Wally gets worried about our awol assassin. Even I didn't see if she got a tracer.

"Tracer's on her sword?" She gives a rhetorical question with a smile, Wally grabbing her shoulders.

"Brilliant! I knew you could-" Wally is cut off by the sound of Roy and Kaldur returning to location. "Oh, hey, there's the guys." He runs off to meet them. "So, we threw the fight, as ordered. _After_ Artemis planted the tracer." I reach out in my range to detect the tracers. But there are three signals. Mine is heading south along with one of Artemis's, but she has another one heading north.

"Cheshire's heading North." Artemis is lying. Maybe to protect her sister? I should say something but I chose not to. She has a very good reason for lying.

"Sportsmaster was headed South." Roy seems to realize something is up. "Kinda like this mission." He is getting a bit irritated but I just calm him down with a hand to his shoulder.

"Maybe he'll double back, maybe she will." Artemis tries to cover her tracks, but I know what's up. I'm going to find out what she is trying to do, but either way, she is treading into rough waters with the rest of the group.

"Either way, they'll rendezvous, and we'll find them." Wally unknowingly is trying to defend Artemis and her tracking skills. He has a lot of faith in her and I'll do my best to keep it that way.

"We had better. Sportsmaster acquired an attaché case, we need to learn what it contained. If you had stayed aboard the Bio-Ship-" Aqualad tries to acknowledge our mistakes but Artemis cuts him off.

"I saw Cheshire sneaking up on him." She points at Roy, he tenses up and I don't think I can turn him back this time without getting vocal.

"Then you radio a warning." Roy snaps at her, but I stand in front of him ready to tell him off. He's been rude to Artemis from the beginning of the mission.

"They could have hacked our frequency, Red. She was trying not to blow our cover. Same reason why I placed a second tracker on Sportsmaster's boat and didn't say anything in the radio. He is still heading south but we'll know if he doubles back or if he keeps on going without Cheshire." I'm bitter with every word. He gets so angry and serious every time he puts on that quiver and has a bow in his hand. He seems to relax, understanding every word.

"It is true. We have come to rely on M'gann's telepathy over our radios." Aqualad supports my defense of Artemis. KF steps up.

"So let's stop looking to place blame and start looking for Cheshire and Sportsmaster." He urges for us to get the mission back on track.

"Here." Artemis holds out her tablet, showing the movements of one of the tracers, the one heading north, that means Cheshire the unknown tracker heading south, trailing Sportsmaster. "Since, clearly, I can't be trusted. You track her." She is bitter about Roy's distrust, but she is lying. He has the right to be suspicious but not the right to be angry and condescending to his teammate. Wally takes the tablet and hands it to Artemis.

"Artemis," he tries to get her to take control and do what she started by placing the trackers. But she just sighs.

"It's fine, I'll follow in the Bio-Ship." She leaves without taking the tablet.

"Go, Kid. Arrow, Tesla and I will return to the river, and we will _all_ follow, as originally planned." Aqualad orders. We all move out, Kaldur back in the water and Roy and I back on our jet skis. I can't keep up from going North and tracking Cheshire when it's a fake tracker. I pull into the radio frequency and block Artemis.

"We have to head south. There are two tracker frequencies, one on Cheshire and one on Sportsmaster. The third is a decoy going north. It's on the train." I finally give her up, I can't withhold information that could sabotage the mission.

"You're lying! For all we know, you could be the mole and you're trying to sabotage us!" Wally tries to defend but I keep calm.

"After all that's been done to me, you really think I would be the mole? Besides, you should listen to me on this, I pushed and had the trackers emit electric pulses like sonar. The two heading south are Sportsmaster and Cheshire." I confirm without telling why Artemis lied.

"Why would Artemis do this?" Aqualad questions but I just say.

"I know why, but it's not my business to tell. It's a very good reason so it doesn't mean you shouldn't trust Artemis, but you should have her back in this." I say in a commanding tone. They all stay silent. I reach into my range and find that Artemis is already heading south. When we reach a warehouse, Artemis is already inside. Roy goes ahead to try and sneak in, but I sport Sportsmaster on the roof and nudge KF.

"Red, don't look now but Sportsmaster is above you on the roof." Kid says into the radio. We are still blocking Artemis out. I run up to help him with the keypad on the door, but the whole door explodes.

"Red!" I yell, running to him, but when I find that he is alright, I help him up. Before anything else, everything around me slows down and I feel a surge of energy repeating over and over in another part of the building. Everything speeds back up as Roy, Kid, and Kaldur run into the building. I run back around and find a new entry point to find the surging of energy. I open a window and perch of one of the metal support beams in the ceiling as who I recognize as Klarion zaps a containment unit with red energy. Professor Ivo and the brain are here as well. I reach out and find something absurd. The thing in the containment unit is a surviving piece of an ancient sea star, and they are infusing it with technology and sorcery for the command interface.

"All done," Klarion smiles as Sportsmaster closes the containment unit back in the case and Artemis bursts through the door.

"Freeze!" She orders them. I drop from the ceiling as the monkey android laughs.

"Don't be absurd With what we've created tonight, I could-" Professor Ivo begins but Klarion cuts him off.

"Why waste such power on her?" The witch boy asks. "Do what she says! Freeze!" He says as he bursts with energy, all of them disappearing and being replaced by statues of ice. In the looming disappointment from the mission, we all head back to the bioship and head back to the cave. Upon arrival in the mission room aqualad steps up with a very aggravated demeanor.

"Let me be clear. We the Injustice League is in custody, their allies still scheme, and we have learned nothing of their plans." Kaldur grumbles as he tells the rest of the team and Red Tornado.

"Actually, I got a read from their little experiment." I speak up. Everyone looks at me in shock. "They were using techno sorcery on a piece of an ancient starfish that should be at Star labs, but apparently, they have it. The interface responds to Klarions sorcery and it is integrated with a kind of fog like Dr. Serling Roquette's. It's prone to replicating and can be applied to external systems and organisms. I don't know what it does but what I do know is a start." I inform the rest of the Team.

"Ronnie I could kiss you!" Kid Flash get's excited about my small success within our failed mission. Roy gives me a look with a little smirk.

"We found out Sportsmaster was working for Brain, Klarion and Ivo." Aqualad continues our intel.

"Yeah, great intel! Except Ivo has been in Belle Reve the whole time! And the guards just checked. It's the real Ivo, not a robot." Roy sasses. I make a mental note to make sure this aggravation doesn't follow him home. That's never a good thing.

"I must report to Batman." Kaldur gets ready to walk away. "The rest of you, get some sleep." The room clears for everyone but Artemis, Roy and I.

"You're not who you say you are." Roy says as we gets close to Artemis. "This isn't over. Not by a long shot." He gets a threatening demeanor before walking off with me to the Zeta-tube. I head back to his apartment with him in Star City.


	15. Chapter 15

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Wayne Tech, Gotham**

**Tuesday, December 7, 2010**

I've been trying to simulate the tech I scanned from the warehouse in New Orleans but I can't nail my equations. The holographic simulator here is good but it's complicated to program. This isn't something I can just command, it takes detailed and articulated equations and calculations that I'm struggling to figure out. The League gave me the okay to do this as it could be extremely crucial for us. I was a lot closer a few tries ago, but when I thought I finally had the equation, the variables I changed set me back even further. I'm probably on about my eighth cup of coffee when Dick walks in with Wally.

"We thought you could use some help-" Dick stops in his tracks and looks at me. "Oh, Ronnie, you're a mess." He walks up and starts picking up the empty cups from my work station. Wally takes the cup in my hand away and pours it down the sink.

"You're officially cut off from caffeine." Wally laughs as he throws away the cup and starts reviewing all of my work. Dick joins him.

"I almost have it, I have a basis system of equations that got me _so_ close to a successful outcome. I've identified the correct variables, I just have to find the right adjustments for the incorrect ones." I tell them as I literally shake as I start filling in new variables. I know I'll get it soon.

"She's right, if I know my physics and statistics, she just have to find the right variables to finish with." Wally confirms as he takes a step back from my work to get a full view of it.

"I could just take the information I need if the _oh so important_ rule was lifted." I think out loud as I input my work and let the simulator do it's job. It fails and I'm back to fixing variables.

"As nice as it would be, you can't just steal information." Dick reminds me. I sigh and sit down in a rolly chair.

"I've locked the correct variables, have at it with the ones that need to be tested." I tell them, pinching the bridge of my nose, letting them go. Wally and Dick squabble over which variables should go where and things. After a few of their own failed tests, they get working again. I see their equation in progress and it hits me.

"Stop!" I yell at the two of them. They freeze in their tracks and step away from the screen.

"Is there something wrong with it?" Dick asks and I read through the equation again. I can't believe what I'm seeing.

"Enter it. Enter the equation." I stand up, eyes wide. The anticipation is killing me right now. Dick presses the submit button and the simulation begins. The holographic version of the biotech begins to function with artificial readings. I enter the code for human interaction. A holographic man walks up to the exposed biotech and touches the surface. The contact overrides the nerves and brain waves of the holographic man, giving control.

"Oh my god." Wally takes a step back. I change the equation to if the biotech was broken down to smaller, applicable pieces, they have the same effect. It gives complete and utter control and it is distributable to a somewhat large mass of organisms and machines. I get a flashdrive and download everything onto it before shutting it all down.

"What are you doing?" Dick asks and I remove my lab coat and pull on my winter coat. I take the flash drive and put it in my purse. I pull on my baseball cap and sunglasses.

"We have to go to the League. I'm going to the Cave and contacting the League open radio." I tell them as they follow me out the door. Once outside the building, I hail a cab and they just climb in behind me. It's a short ride to the block radius of the zeta tube. Dick and Wally follow me to the tube. I press my comm as we walk.

"Watchtower to Tesla." I recognize Black Canary, she must be on Watchtower duty.

"Canary, I need you to open up the channel to all Leaguers. Get the message that I figured out what the technology does and Everyone needs to see it. I'm taking my info to the cave." I tell her. Wally steps into the photobooth and disappears in a flash of yellow light.

"Acknowledged. I'll make sure that they'll all be there shortly." She responds. "Black Canary out." She shuts off the transmission as Dick gets into the photobooth and he too disappears in a flash of yellow light. I step into the photobooth and the computer within recognizes me. I disappear and reappear in the Cave. I get to the Cave's computer and transfer all of the data and set it up to show the League and Team. Soon, all we are waiting on are Captain Marvel and Batman. When they show up, everyone is standing before me, awaiting an answer to the worrisome question. What did the villains create? I feel awkward presenting in front of a bunch of adults, the only hope is that they take me seriously.

"I've been working with a holographic simulator at Wayne Tech to find out what the biotechnology is capable of based on the information I absorbed while I was in proximity." I slide my rather long equation in the center of the holo screen. "Once this equation is applied, the simulated biotech is primed for it's function. I adjusted the equation to account for the biotech being cut into applicable pieces and found what the most likely function is." I reach over and press the play button on my holographic footage. Before everyone, a holographic man, computer and android appear. Three of the simulated biotech attach to a host and integrate themselves. The machines are reprogrammed and the man is bio scripted to await a command via sorcery.

"Can you deduce from your work how this will affect the human population?" The Flash asks. He seems to know his way around my work, like his secret identity is a scientist as well.

"Klarion can control the tech which controls the subjects. It's like mind control via techno sorcery. But once the tech is applied, it's not like being infected, or forcing you to be prone to suggestion. The control quite literally makes you a mindless puppet. Just enter a command from a designated leader or leaders." I tell them. I shut off the simulator but keep all of my data on screen.

"Good job, Tesla." Batman says to me in monotone, but I still feel satisfaction. "The league will convene over the impending breakout of the use of this tech. But for now, your orders are to take this information to Dr. Serling Roquette. Work with her to create an anti version as a failsafe. Robin, Kid Flash, Zatanna, you will go with her." Batman orders. He looks to the rest of the team. "The rest of you, stay here and await further instructions." He says before he and the rest of the League leave. Robin, Kid, Zatanna and I take the zeta tube to Star City. When we make it to Royal University, Zatanna steps up to find Dr. Roquette when we don't find her in the lab.

"Etacol gnilres etteuqor no siht egelloc supmac!" She casts while we stand before a campus map while the rest of us keep watch. "I got her! She's at the campus cafe." Zatanna tells us and we all go running, people giving us weird looks.

"Nothing to see here, just some teenagers running through a college campus." I mutter to myself as we close in on the campus cafe. Dr. Roquette is just getting her coffee when we approach her. Her demeanor immediately changes.

"Can I help you?" Her eyebrow raises as she takes a sip of her coffee. Robin steps up.

"Sorry, Dr. Roquette, but you're going to have to come with us." Boy Wonder basically orders her, trying to skip the theatrics and sass that I've heard so much about.

"And why should I do that, rugrats?" She questions bitterly, holding her coffee tightly. It's barely been two minutes and she is already getting on my nerves.

"Because we saved your life last August by protecting you from the Shadows and helping you create a virus for your fog. So, I suggest you listen to us, sweet cheeks." Wally grins from ear to ear as he receives her reaction. Zatanna tries her best to stifle her snickering. I step up to her.

"Hi," I put my hand out and she shakes it nervously. "You and I have a problem to solve. But we have to take you to my lab in Wayne Tech in Gotham City. Better equipment." I tell her and I grab her arm and start pulling her to the edge of campus, the others following us.

"But I have class in an hour!" She nearly yells at me. "I'm demonstrating my updated nanotech!" She tries to fight me. But I just laugh.

"As genius as you think you are, I'm currently curing cancer in ninety nine percent of my trial patients with nanobts a tenth of the size of yours. I'm sixteen and twenty two. If I were you, I'd keep my attitude in check, you might cross one one of your future co-workers." My words shut her up as quickly as she had opened her mouth before. Now, she begins to follow willingly. She seems interested in the strange girl involved with the heroes that it just as intelligent as she is. I hail a cab and we all pile in except for Wally and Zatanna.

"We can trail behind, no problem." Wally smiles as he pulls out his goggles and gets ready to run. Zatanna pulls her baseball cap further down over her eyes.

"Etativel!" I hear Zatanna cast as the door of the cab shuts. I turn behind to make sure they are following us, Wally in a blur and Zatanna overhead in her own little cloud to hide herself. I keep one hand on the side of the car to make sure the cab driver stays on course and doesn't try anything in case he is a part of the organization that is working against the League. But, he ends up just being a normal cab driver when we stop a block away from the alley way that conceals the zeta tube. I pay the cab driver and we all make sure Dr. Roquette is in the middle of us as we approach the zeta tube.

"I'll give her guest authorization for this trip. Robin, you go first." I tell him as I stick my hand on the out of order blue police box. He nods before stepping inside and disappearing in a flash of yellow light.

"I'll go next, you never know." Wally says before entering the box and disappearing as well. I gesture for Roquette to go. But she is hesitant.

"I know you'll keep your mouth shut about this, but it's just a Zeta Teleporter Tube. You'll appear fine and intact in Gotham within seconds." I tell her. She doesn't budge so I open the door.

"Ekam reh klaw otni the xob." Zatanna casts with a blank look on her face. She is just about as done with this as I am. Dr. Roquette walks into the box automatically with a surprised look on her face. Zatanna follows suit and when she is gone, I enter and reappear in the photobooth in Gotham, everyone waiting for me.

"Alright, let's move out." Robin orders and we all follow him. We resume the cab situation before arriving to Wayne Tech. I pull out my key card and get us all him without any security problems. But when we get to my lab, the glass door is shattered and the lab is a mess.

"No." I run in to my computer system. "Please don't have gotten anything important." I put my hand on the computer and run diagnostics. Almost all files were opened and all are intact. Lucky for me, the most damaging information was effectively removed and placed on a flash drive.

"Did they get anything?" Zatanna asks. I shake my head.

"All the important things were on this drive." I say in a low tone as I check for any viruses or bugs. There could have been something installed to spy on my computer, and I'm right. "They installed a spy software. If I had uploaded the flash drive, they would have gotten the information. I'm getting rid of it right now." I tell them as I set electricity through the computer tower to wipe out all invasive software and installments.

"How is she doing that?" Dr. Roquette asks, looking to Wally.

"No time for questions, doc. We have work to do." He answers her as we fire up my equipment and open the files necessary to reverse engineer the biotech, but it's only in theory. Serling reviews the data and is thinking for a while.


	16. Chapter 16: Part 1

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Bruges**

**Wednesday, December 22, 2010**

**Part 1**

"The Daring Dangers! Dan Danger! Dawn Danger! Devan Danger! Diane Danger! Dane Danger! and Dean Danger!" The ringmaster presents us as Dick and M'gann tuck midair through two barrels, I do a full above them, dodging the arrows from Roy and Artemis. "You'll never see another trapeze act like this, folks, And all of it, without a net!" The ringmaster announces as I hold onto M'gann's legs, her knees looped through mine. Her hands are out, ready to catch Dick, but just as he get's close, he just barely misses.

_Robin!_ M'gann shouts in the mind link.

_Don't blow our cover!_ Robin orders as he falls, blatantly ignoring his current peril.

_But saving your life's okay?_ Connor is slightly sarcastic as he throws one of his barrels with enough force so Dick will be launched back up to us. M'gann pulls him up to her a few inches using telekinesis.

_What did I just say?_ Robin is irritated and he is going a little overboard to keep our cover. We land on the platform all together and begin waving.

_The crowd couldn't see me using telekinesis from below Besides, I've been using it all night. I'm not exactly the acrobat you are._ M'gann admits as the three of us wave to the crowd.

_Yeah, neither am I right now. I think I've caught that 24 hour bug that's been going around the circus. But the show must go on. _Dick is sweating and struggling to hold his smile. The three of us climb down from our platform. As soon as my feet touch the ground, my adrenaline from the performance fades and I begin to get nauseous.

"Put your hands together for The Daring Dangers!" The ringmaster shouts as we all get together.

_Didn't think we'll make it through._ M'gann looks to Dick, I put my hand on his shoulder to keep him steady.

_Neither did I. Help me backstage._ Dick tells us. We pull his arms over our shoulders and walk him backstage.

"Haly, what's the deal? Giving the top slot to those Danger kids? That's our slot!" A set of twins in identical costumes begin to complain to the Ringmaster. Roy get's Dicks attention, we all watch.

"_Was your slot_, until you missed that performance in Paris." Haly points out, giving the two of them stern looks.

"Carlo was sick! He's better now. Plus those Dangers are a sham. They say they're brothers and sisters, they don't even look alike!" The other twin I deduce to be Carlo, identifies. We actually all have someone in our cover story troupe that we look like. Dick and Connor, Roy and M'gann, Artemis and I. She and M'gann straightened my hair, now, I almost look like Artemis's twin.

"Ah, you just don't like the competition!" Haly chuckles as he walks away from the twin performers. Soon he spots the interpol agent. I can't really hear their hushed conversation, but when it ends, the agent approaches us.

"Faraday, Interpol." He flashes a badge. "New act?" He looks around at all of us with suspicion.

"Yeah, just joined the tour." Dick says nonchalantly. He's actually pretty good at staying in a calm persona while undercover.

"Probably cleared you. But don't get too comfortable, Haly's going down for this." Agent Faraday, walking away from us. My nausea gets the better of me and I stumble, Roy whipping around to grab my shoulders. Everyone else looks at me with worry.

"Are you okay?" M'gann asks me with an odd look in her eyes.

"Maybe she has the bug I have." Dick suggests, but I shake my head to all of them.

"Perk of being regenerative, I don't get sick. This isn't normal." I say before I have to cover my mouth, like it might actually stop me from gagging and heaving. "I'll be fine." I put on a brave face. Dick nods and we all follow him back to our quarters. Everyone suits up and moves out to get ready to try and intercept who ever is going on a crime spree.

* * *

_If Interpol's already on this, why are bothering?_ Connor asks in the mind link. We look across the roof tops to Dick and M'gann.

_Because Batman said so._ Dick gets defensive. _Why? You had something better to do?_ He quips at Connor.

_How do we know the thieves will hit here? _Artemis asks as she looks through high tech binoculars.

_There are more obvious targets._ Roy ads to Artemis's curiosity. It seems that we are blindly following a fourteen year old that is currently working through a bug.

_And Faraday will have them covered._ Dick gives us a partial explanation. _But I analyzed the tech already stolen, and the patterns suggest this is the place._ He continues to explain as we all scope out the location. Superboy taps me and points.

_Contact! North-East quadrant._ He says into the link as I get a better look at the hooded figure, trying to get a good guess on who it might be. They leap over the fence with extreme acrobatics. _Looks like we know why "Carlo" missed their performance._ He deduces.

_Could be Carlo, could be his brother. Keep an open mind._

_And move in. _Dick continues to keep up his attempt of rationality. We follow his orders and leave our reconnaissance positions.

_Did you see where he went?_ Dick asks Connor as the kryptonian lands with a thud on the ground by the rest of us on the ground.

_The warehouse._ Connor points out after using what I think is his heat vision to locate a person. We move in and once close to the trespasser, Dick laughs.

"Caught red-handed! Red phase 2, I'll bet_._" He says with a smile. I take a mental note to let dick know that he is a little over enthusiastic when taking down baddies who might try to kill him to get away.

"Acrobatics won't get you out of this." Artemis says as she and Roy aim their bows at the masked man. But he pulls out a torch and begins to breath fire, burning the building around us.

"Those crates are full of live ammo! Move!" Roy shouts just as ammunitions begin to fire from the heat. I'm beginning to feel the heat and it's starting affect my nausea, making me feel worse. All of the windows of the warehouse explode.

"That guy is dead meat!" Connor gets ready to run off after saving us from the explosion.

"Superboy, no! You need to get her out." Robin says as he struggles to keep M'gann upright. I'm not doing so hot myself.

"He's getting away!" Connor barks at Robin.

"And that matters more than Miss M? The fire's killing her!" Robin says as M'gann begins to lose consciousness. Connor snaps out of it.

"Right right!" He picks up M'gann Bridal style and runs her out slightly faster than usual.

"Artemis, Tesla, Arrow, find the thief!" Robin orders as he begins to collapse. Roy grabs under his arms and supports him.

"Because he matters more than you?" Artemis questions as she helps Roy get him outside.

"You're still off your game, pal. We're getting you out too" Roy tells him as the three of us walk. They carry Robin as I trail behind as support. As soon as we get outside, my legs buckle and I crumble to the ground. "Ronnie!" Roy yells, the last thing I hear before everything fades to black.

* * *

"I told you to keep an open mind!" Robin yells as I come too. It's still silent so I guess I'm just not in the telepathic link. The door slams and I start to get the energy to open my eyes. When I do, Connor and Roy are facing off in a silent argument. M'gann puts her hand on Connors shoulder and walks him out.

"None of us are perfect. But each of us would give our lives for this Team. So try and keep an open mind." Artemis looks at Roy, trying to convince him to calm down and work with them with trust and respect. She walks out and shuts the door behind her. Roy looks down, seemingly thinking about what everyone has said.

"Seems like I miss all the fun." I rasp as I wade out of my groggy state, the nausea returning. Roy looks to me and sits down, quickly taking my hand into his. But the pain in my stomach turns to an extreme hunger. Probably since I haven't eaten since before the performance yesterday.

"Is there anything you need?" He asks as I sit up. I nod.

"Yeah, I'm hungry." I sit up completely, take a breath, and stand. Roy seems nervous about this, but I just put my hand out to assure him. "Don't worry, I'm just grabbing my bag." I reach up into the above compartment and pull down one of the backpacks. In it, protein bars and snack foods, courtesy of Alfred. I take out some poptarts and just start eating, Roy and I in silence. When I get close to finishing the box, he gets a weird look on his face.

"You must be really hungry." He remarks as I take the last bite of the last poptart. I nod to him.

"Yeah, I've been hungry a lot since I started working with Serling on the cure-tech." I tell him as I grab a protein bar and lean back. He gets this look on his face. "I don't know what it is but I think it's from either stress, or I'm just using a lot more power and using more energy than I'm used to." I explain, he seems to relax. I pick up on why he's nervous and start laughing.

"What's so funny?" He asks, completely distracted from his previous state of mind.

"Dane," I start, sticking to the cover story in case someone is listening," are you really nervous about me being hungry? Really?" I laugh at him. "Dude, I'm fine. It's just me sitting in front of you." I reassure him, putting a hand on his arm. He just sighs as we sit in the car.


	17. Chapter 17: Part 2

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Bruges**

**Wednesday, December 22, 2010**

**Part 2**

"You look better." Artemis comments as she looks at Dick, he is a lot less clammy and tired looking than before.

"I feel better. I'm sorry, Me- Dawn." He nearly slips up on M'gann's cover name. She's been sick and down for the count since the train started moving. "I hope you didn't catch it from me."

"I feel so silly. Who knew a Martian could be vulnerable to a human virus?" She asks as she looks off to the wall, like she thinks she is in trouble for this.

"Uhh… H.G. Wells? Look, when did you first feel sick?" He says like it's obvious. I'm honestly just curious whether he is talking about the author or the scientist.

"Just after boarding the train... It came on suddenly." She gets a suspicious look on her face, as did the rest of us.

"Same with me, the other night. I remember Ray rubbed my head for good luck right before we went on." Dick remembers, starting to think about the possibilities.

"Ray? That roustabout? He touched her before we boarded." Connor says angrily, getting more and more defensive of M'gann. "That guy must be a walking Petri dish." I see his fist clench. Dick just gets an idea from that statement.

"Yeah. Yeah, maybe." He nearly sprints out of the compartment, we all look at eachother. _The detective is onto something. _After a minute, we all head out. Hearing Dick talk to Jack Haly, the ringmaster.

"Poor lad's down with the same flu as the rest of them." He says sympathetically. Artemis is quick on her feet.

"We'll check on him. It's the least we can do." She says, we all catch onto her plan. I don't think any of us think that Ray is who he says he is.

"If you insist." Haly shrugs as we all walk off. He pulls his cart of crates in front of him, getting ready to get moving again. Once we get to Rays compartment, it's dark and empty.

"I guess he wasn't _that_ sick." Connor grumbles as he looks around.

"Does this circus have an elephant I don't know about?" Roy turns back to the crate against the wall, labeled elephant. I open it up.

"Not on foreign tours." Dick states as we all gather to get a better look inside. "Empty." Dick frowns.

"No, wait. Ash." He looks up to me, then to Dick.

"The warehouse fire in Bruges." Dick says with wide eyes, wiping the ash to get a closer look at it, maybe to find something unique about it.

"Uh Guys?" Artemis says as she rummages through the other stuff. "I found Ray." She pulls out a super realistic mask, Ray's face in perfect replication, or maybe the mask is just to hide what he really looks like.

"Split up! Search the whole train!" Dick says as we all run out of the compartment and split up to check out everything around the train, hopefully to find the who ever is pretending to be Ray.

"Dawn, come in!" I hear in the radio.

"Uh Dan?" She seems confused as to why we are using the comms.

"I tried to reach you, the other way." Dick tells her, he sounds like he is running.

"I think the flu's knocked out my other way." She says in a nearly ashamed tone.

"That clinches it. Dane, Dean, Devan, Diane, come in! We're chasing someone who's stolen _Dawn's act_. Her whole shtick, if you catch my drift." Dick tells us directly. We all step up our game to find the perpetrator.

"I got him! But he's on to me. Exiting the dining car now." Superboy reports. "He's gone top side!" He says as we all move out. I find Roy and Artemis and we go top side. When we get there, Robin is climbing up.

"That's no clown, he's the Parasite! The guy who once stole Superman's powers." Robin points out to the rest of us. I've heard of him, big deal on the news a while back.

"As if you, kids, are who you claim to be. Please." He seems overly accomplished as he shifts from a clown to what I imagine is his normal self, a mutated, disfigured version of Ray.

"Stay out of his reach! There's no flu going around. The weakness comes when he makes physical contact and feeds on the powers and abilities of others." Robin orders and informs. I hang back, I could jeopardize everything if he gets my abilities.

"I happen to be a bit of a glutton today. Chowed down on the skills of nearly every loser in this troupe. But, oh, my But the pièce de résistance was Dawn Danger. Or whatever her real name is. Thought I'd pouch on her trapeze skills Imagine my surprise when she tasted like Martian Manhunter, instead. She made a lovely appetizer. But guess who I want for my entrée!" He shouts as he sticks a hand out and uses M'gann's telekinesis to pull Connor in, grabbing him by his neck. "M-hmm, now that's the full body Kryptonian flavor I love!" He celebrates as he absorbs Connors abilities.

"Everyone, stay "whelmed"! Subdue, but keep your distance!" Robin orders, but parasite somehow has heat vision, and burns the bows of our best options for long range attacks.

You know, I almost never say this, but I'm sated. Hate to eat and run." Parasite says as he flies off, using telekinesis to take the crate with him. I do my best to pull from the metal of the crate, it stops parasite long enough for Robin to leap up and onto the box to launch himself at Parasite. "Sorry, no hitchhikers." Parasite snarks as he smacks Robin away. M'gann catches Robin as I take part in a power struggle with Parasite. I take the chance of multitasking and start firing bolts of lightning at him. I keep going and they get brighter and brighter with louder and louder booms of the energy rapidly heating the air.

"Conner!" M'gann runs to Connor after helping Dick back onto the top of the train. "You alright?" She checks him. I continue my battle with Parasite. In retaliation, he is firing heat vision at me, but every time I get hit, I fight through the pain as I heal.

"Fine, fine." Connor says as he stands up, I block another blast of heat vision with my arm before shooting back a volley of lightning.

"You're drained! Parasite took more power than you even have! Heat vision?" Dick asks in frustration as the others move back to stay out of the fire fight between Parasite and I.

"I have the genetic potential for it! Must've been enough for him." Connor looks down like he is ashamed. Dick groans in frustration as they hang back. I start absorbing energy from the air around me to get stronger in order to win the tug of war, magnokinesis versus telekinesis. I do begin to win, but Parasite gets a lucky shot with his heat vision and nails me right in the face.

"Ronnie!" Roy shouts as he runs up to me as I curl up on the top of the train, hiding my face while it heals so no one will see it destroyed. I touch it and find that my nose and upper lip were completely melted away and the rest is covered in extreme burns. Roy tries to get me up, only succeeding when I feel my nose and lip return. "Are you alright?" He asks, I nod.

"I'll be fine, but he still got away." I frown.

* * *

We all sit back in our compartment of the train, all suited up and ready to face Parasite again.

"It's not a complete debacle. I picked Parasite's pocket. I got this flash drive, looks like Parasite's working for Intergang. Everything he's stolen They're all pieces of something. They're putting together a weapon that generates… black holes?" Dick says in extreme shock as he looks at the files on his holocomputer.

"Oh, come on! To build that, you need a particle accelerator." Roy remarks, doubting Intergang's plan.

"Like the large Boson Collider in Geneva?" I point out from next to him.

"The circus's next stop! But now that Parasite can fly, he's got a big head start on us." Roy reminds us all that the bad guy got the better of us, taking what he needed.

"Sorry." M'gann looks down and Connor looks away. The two of them are acting like dogs about the get punished. No one blames them.

"Not your fault. But this thing could wipe out entire cities." Dick stands up, getting ready to make a game plan. "We need to hurry."

"You and I need to hurry. Without powers, the others would hold us back." Roy pulls out his spare bow, I'm starting to get irritated.

"Hey, you're not the only one with a backup bow." Artemis snaps as she pulls out a miniature crossbow matching her costume.

"And I'm the best backup plan if we can't stop Parasite! I just have to be in the vicinity to shut down the Boson Collider." I glare at Roy. I can't believe he would think it would be okay to leave me behind just because Parasite could get my abilities.

"My powers are back!" Connor punches the wall of the compartment.

"How?" Dick gets confused.

"I'm still-" M'gann tries to rationalize but Connor cuts her off.

"I guess Kryptonians recover faster than humans or Martians." Connor says in a suspicious tone, grabbing his left arm, like he is trying to be inconspicuous.

"Don't even think about leaving me behind." M'gann smiles, putting on her brave face. But Roy gets an expression like he feels burdened by everyone coming along, especially his three suspected moles. I just glare at him.

* * *

"Trail of destruction, this way." Robin leads as he checks the unconscious security guard outside the facility in Geneva. I can hear the sound of the wind picking up outside as we get a visual on Parasite and the primed machine.

"Need to take him down. Or at least lure him away so we can safely disengage the-" Robin is strategizing until Connor runs out in a fit of rage. "No, wait!" He tries to order him to stop. We all know that won't happen. Kryptonians, as we know, have very hard heads. Connor attacks, but is pulled in by Parasite. Before he can make sufficient physical contact, Connor gives him a powerful right hook. The battle is short lived and Parasite gets a hold of him. I take this as a good distraction, so I run in and get to the control panel for the Boson Collider, completely immersed in shutting it down. Surprisingly there is a lot to it that I can't just push for. Parasite put together something new and I'm not very quick to dismantle it in risk of a faulty set up or tripping the wrong sensor.

"Unless you make a meal on my powers and get my weaknesses as a side dish!" I hear Parasite M'gann sasses as the flames weaken Parasite. I finally shut down the machine.

"No... No!" Parasite shouts as he crumbles to the floor.

"Aw, poor baby Something you ate?" M'gann smiles, as she makes a mockery of the criminal. He struggles to hold consciousness before he finally passes out.

"We'll take it from here." That Faraday Agent from before says as he and some others put out the flames. They plant an inhibitor collar on Parasite before he can wake for the tip, by the way. Definitely helps to prep the inhibitor collar in advance." Faraday smiles at Robin.

"Glad to be of service." He seems accomplished with himself. I know this mission meant a lot to him considering his past with Haly's Circus. I look back to see Roy takes Artemis's hands and she helps him up.

"Wow, He danes to touch the hand of a suspected traitor." She smirks and he gives a friendly smile.

"Mind open." He starts. "I guess I never really saw you three in the thick of it before. Superboy's a hot-head, but I know I'm not one to talk. You could each have betrayed us here and you didn't. I'm sorry I doubted any of you. There is no mole."


	18. Chapter 18

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Santa Prisca**

**Thursday, December 30th, 2010**

I remember leaving Wayne Tech so I could meet with the team to watch Roy be inducted into the League from inside the Hall of Justice, but I don't remember anything after getting into the taxi cab. Now, I feel cold and I know I am awake, but the area around me is pitch black. There is something around my neck. I try to spark electricity to give myself some light, but it doesn't happen. I touch whatever is around my neck, it feels oddly familiar. An inhibitor collar. Just as I stand up to find out more on what's going on, a door opens and two people walk in. I recognize them. Queen Bee and Lex Luthor.

"Sorry it had to be this way, _Tesla_." He says like my hero name leaves a bad taste in his mouth. "But you need to be out of the way for the Light's plan to work." Luthor steps aside and a third party joins, Mercy Graves, the cyborg bodyguard.

"We also apologize for this." Queen Bee says as Mercy restrains my hands and feet with metal cuffs. She places an electronic muzzle of sorts on my face. I can breath, but no noise comes out when I try to speak. I try screaming and I still don't hear it.

"The muzzle is to cancel any noise you make. You'll be heard when the proper moment presents itself." Luthor states as I glare at him. Mercy picks me up and throws me over her shoulder. They bring me outside and it immediately smells tropical, like by the ocean. I hear someone speaking spanish before I see a familiar but displeasing face, Bane. This only means one thing, I'm on Santa Prisca.

"She must be quite dangerous if you're using that many precautions." Bane infers after taking one look at me.

"Quite." Luthor stated quickly as Mercy drops me on the ground. I'm completely disappointed and confused when I see Superboy fly in on the Supercycle. I wanna scream and shout, but I know I can't so I don't waste my breath.

"Welcome, Superboy. I'd like to introduce you to my associate, Queen Bee." Lex Luthor gestures to the Queen to his left as Connor approaches, his eyes fall to me before looking back at Luthor and Queen Bee. I glare at him, trying to express every ounce of hatred towards the traitor I can with my eyes.

"My pleasure." Queen Bee seems intrigued by Connor. Her greeting is almost flirtatious.

"I believe you know everyone else." Luthor says as the rest of the group approaches from behind Luthor. "Sportsmaster, Mercy, Blockbuster, and our new friend, Bane," The venom user and his men approach with guns at the ready for Luthor's command, "who's allowed us use of his island in exchange for certain Considerations." Luthor looks to me, "and your friend Tesla over here. Sorry we took her, but she needs to be out of the way for something else we have in motion." Luthor states. Sportsmaster kicks me forward so I'm on my knees in front of Luthor and Queen Bee.

"So the Injustice League was just a distraction. You two have been behind everything from the start." Connor deduces from the current situation, but Luthor just laughs as Queen Bee continues to give Connor a look that is starting to bother me.

"A flattering notion, son, but we have many friends." Luthor laughs as a helicopter closes in.

"This one of your friends now?" Connor asks, trying to get a good look at the people inside the aircraft as it lands.

"No, my boy. More of yours." Luthor give a quaint smile, anticipating the big reveal of his new recruits of the day. The door slides open and I see Artemis and Cheshire get out. I become even more infuriated, betrayal seething through me.

"Artemis?" Connor seems shocked as the blonde archer approaches with her Shadow of a sister.

"The hero thing wasn't working out. You know how it is, no trust." Artemis and Cheshire stand in front of Sportsmaster. He puts his hand on Artemis's shoulder. "This is where I belong." She smirks. I hear another airship in bound.

"It's a fast growing club." Queen Bee gestures to the sky, a familiar red Bioship flies in. Everyone's favorite martian levitates down and lands with her hood over her face. She too seems shocked of the other two's presence.

"Why are they here? You promised!" M'gann is on the verge of shouting until she sees me. I know she is registering my anger from her surprised and nervous reaction.

"I've kept your secret and my promise. Now, you keep yours." Queen Bee is demonstrating her power over the young martian traitor. She backs off and the Queen is satisfied. "Good girl." She acknowledges, like M'gann is a dog.

"Give me more shields and I'm in, too." Connor says assuringly, but even I can pick out that he is lying. Luthor approaches him and scans his face, a smile grows across his own.

"My boy You're a terrible liar." Luthor points out, making Connor nervous. He get's ready to fight, but Luthor just opens his mouth. "Red sun." Just two words, and Connor is completely shut down, his expression blank. Artemis steps forward.

"What do you want us to do?" She asks the Luthor and Queen Bee. Luthor nods at Sportsmaster.

"You two, follow me." The brute assassin orders Artemis and M'gann.

"What about Superboy?" M'gann asks nervously, looking off to her boyfriend. I'm surprised she cares. She betrayed her team after all.

"He'll be fine. He and Tesla simply requires a few… adjustments." Queen Bee says with a smile as she looks over at the catatonic kryptonian. I begin to hatch a drastic escape plan as soon as she makes clear that they are going to mess with my mind. M'gann and Artemis walk right past him, almost dreading.

"Bring him along." Luthor orders. Blockbuster walks up to grab Connor, but Artemis whips around and fires a foam arrow at Blockbuster, keeping him from taking Connor anywhere.

"Sorry, Dad, wanted to play you like you tried to play me, but I can't let him mess with Superboy's head." Artemis aimes an explosive arrow at her father and sister. She switches sides, just like that. Must have been her plan all along if she was ready to protect Connor, maybe even M'gann.

"M'gann, be a dear and take Artemis down?" Queen Bee orders in a sickening but polite tone. M'gann levitates Artemis into the air, high above our heads. But one hand slide under the one channeled at Artemis, and blasts back Queen Bee against a tree with telekinesis. I guess i wrongly lost faith in two of my best friends. M'gann shifts Artemis so she can finally fire the explosive arrow at her dad and sister.

_Queen Bee is down. Superboy, you're safe from her control._ I hear in my mind. They included me in the link, probably to confirm that they were faking the betrayal so I know what's going on. Connor goes from blank to angry.

"May not be much of a liar, but I fooled you." He growls as he approaches Lex and Queen Bee. Mercy is off to the side.

"And I'm so proud. I take it Miss Martian cleaned _red sun_ from your mind?" Luthor asks as he gets up off the ground.

"And confirmed to Aqualad, Robin and Kid Flash, rescued me from Cadmus, before you had time to install any other programming." Connor says with a rare smirk crossing his face. Luthor shrugs.

"All true. Personally, I blame Doctor Desmond." He frowns, looking over to Blockbuster, who currently has just escaped the polyurethane foam. Blockbuster roars as he leaps at Connor and takes him down. "Un poco de ayuda." Luthor looks to Bane. The fire fight begins with Bane's men shooting at us. Sphere actives and begins firing back at the mercenaries. M'gann draws fire as Artemis knocks another Arrow into her bow.

"You have been a very naughty girl!" Sportsmaster yells at his daughter as he and Cheshire approach her, weapons ready.

_Guys, reinforcement time!_ Artemis says into the mid link. There must be more of the Team on the island. To my surprise, Rocket from Dakota City flies in with her pink aura and grabs one of Bane's men, flying them up and dropping them over in the trees to incapacitate them. I see a blur that I deduce to be Kid Flash in his stealth suit, being a human cannon ball to take down more and more of Bane's men. Bane assesses the situation and actives his bio-mechanism, releasing the venom steroid into his system, enhancing him before our eyes. Luthor picks up Queen Bee.

"Time to go, get the girl." Luthor orders Mercy, she picks me up and throws me over her shoulder again. Aqualad leaps out of the trees and lands in front of us with his mystic swords at the ready.

"Neither you, nor Queen Bee is going anywhere!" The atlantean orders them, aiming his right sword at the billionaire.

"Young man, if you expect to detain me Contact my attorney." He quips as Mercy puts out one arm and used her built in cannon to fire upon Aqualad. I thrash around to mess with her aim, but she still manages to get him. They continue and manage to throw me into the helicopter, securing me, then proceeding to take off. I see Rocket fly after us, but the pilot fires missiles at her. She stops, and then retreats for some reason. I can't hear their thoughts anymore, I must be out of M'gann's range. I try to move, but they have me secured too tightly. I'm trapped. When the helicopter lands far away from the island, they carry me off and toss me on the pavement of the heli-pad. Luthor pulls out something that I don't recognize.

"Father box, take us to Watchtower." As he utters the most terrifying words of my life, a portal opens and they drag me through, kicking and thrashing. I try to scream, but the muzzle keeps from even the most remote sound from coming out. When the portal closes, I'm in what I'm guessing it the Watchtower. There are mindless Leaguers milling about with Vandal Savage and Klarion at the forefront. Klarion is tapping away at a red holo computer. Their bio-tech has been enacted.

"I've been waiting to meet you, Veronica." The looming man greets me and I sit up from the cold floor. "Too bad it's not in better circumstances." He gestures to my restrains. I just glare at him since it's about the only thing I can do right now. Klarion teleports from his station to me. He hands go right for my hair, running through it and smelling her.

"She's pretty, can I keep her?" The witch boy asks like I'm some shiny new toy in a store.

"No. She is part of the Light's plan. She has better things to do than be your slave. Like the Archer that our operatives have yet to recover." Savage says. He could be talking about Roy, or maybe Artemis. If the League is under their control, it has to be one of the two. I try to move to get a better look around at my situation, but Vandal Savage sees my attempt and kicks me in the stomach, hard. I feel something warm and not long, there is a substantial amount of blood on my legs. I feel my stomach and there's no blood, but it's all over my thighs. There is an extreme pain that follows. Vandal pulls out a remote and clicks it. Suddenly, I can hear my heavy breathing.

"What is going on? What did you do!" I scream at him through the pain. He stands up and clicks the button again, I am silenced.

"You're going to feel the pain for a while until we stop inhibiting your regeneration, but I believe the term of my action is _compromising the fetus,_ Veronica. Your regeneration is being inhibited to ensure it miscarries successfully." I'm completely confused and dumbfound. But as confused as I am, some part of my must be understanding what is going on because tears fall from my eyes.

"Oh, she's broken." Klarion says monotonously. "Can we get a new one?" He looks to Vandal like he is about to get to go shopping for a girl to terrorize. I just curl up in a ball, laying on my side, watching the earth on the other side of the window.


	19. Chapter 19

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Watchtower**

**Friday, December 31st, 2010**

"Go, change. If you are obedient, we will allow your regeneration." Savage says as he pushes me into a bathroom with a set of clothes. He presses a button that unlocks the cuffs on my wrists and ankles. "When you are finished, put the cuffs back on your wrists. I think we can afford to leave you the ability to walk." he says before shutting the door. I peel off my bloody pants and underwear, taking a wet paper towel and cleaning the skin before putting on the fresh clothes. I pull on the new underwear and what are seemingly, a pair of leggings from my closet. The shirt is just another from my closet back in Gotham as well, a grey longsleeved tunic. The only weird part, is that I'm barefoot, they took my shoes when I was unconscious on Santa Prisca. I look in the mirror and look at the muzzle, still tight on my face and inhibiting all sound that I could possibly make from my mouth. I feel the pain in my stomach with every move I make as I move to put the cuffs back on my wrists and open the door. Savage walks me back to the mission room, watching me intently as I return to my spot where a pillar and the massive glass window meet. I pull my knees into my chest and lean my head on the glass, watching the Earth. I hear a beep come from my collar, and the pain begins to fade. I look to Vandal, my eyes still watering.

"You're welcome, Veronica. If you continue to behave, you may earn more freedom. I may even allow you to speak." He smirks. I nod and go back to staring out the window. After a several hours, Vandal takes pity and removes the handcuffs. But I continue to sit in silence. I'm sure under any other circumstances, I would be fighting with any chance I got. But now, I just don't have the energy, the will, to escape. Something finaly interests me when I hear the computer interface announce the arrival of multiple Leaguers.

"Recognized: Black Canary, 1 - 3, Red Tornado, 1 - 6, Red Arrow, 2 - 1." It announces. I turn my head and stare at the tube as the three appear. I feel slightly warm when I see Roy, but I don't really want to feel anything right now.

"Any problems?" Vandal says to the three in a low, monotonous voice.

"Despite an initial setback, I was able to reinfect Red Tornado and Red Arrow." Black Canary announces, my heart drops. The cover story is false in accuracy and they don't even realize it.

"As well as the entire Team. They await reprogramming, back, on Earth." Red Tornado is incorrect as well. I'm losing what little hope I have left each time one of them utters a word. They are going to fail.

"I think not." Vandal call them out. I stare at Roy. I'm not even sure if he's notice me or not because of the domino mask covering his eyes. "You see, Starro-Tech does not reprogram the mind, it offers us remote control of it." They should have read my notes on my study. I knew of this before I was even dragged to this station in the first place.

"We know exactly who's infected and who's not. And none of you are!" Klarion yells. As relieved as I am that they made it to my cure-tech, even if it works in making them immune to reapplication, how would they fare when other Leaguers go up against them on the whim of Vandal Savage?

"But that is easily rectified." He says as Green Lantern contains all of them in Green Light. "Fifty thousand years of life, and nothing ever troubled me as much as the founding of the Justice League, dedicated to maintaining society's calcified status quo. The League would protect mankind from disaster, crime, tragedy of any kind. Had you never heard of _the survival of the fittest_? In essence, you heroes sought to protect humanity from its own glorious evolution. As such, you forced my more enlightened colleagues and myself, to organize a response. We created or co-opted networks of operatives, placed key-individuals in key-positions, made certain we were on the cutting edge of all new technologies, genetic engineering, biochemical engineering, robotics, nano-robotics, even techno-sorcery.

Not to mention every conceivable method of mind-control. Cold-hard science, a little misdirection, and now you, champions of stagnation, have become our agents of change, forcing the human race to evolve on a more advanced schedule, allowing the Earth to take its rightful place, at the center of the Cosmos." Vandal monologues as he adds starro-tech to the three rogue heroes. They each relax, one by one. I just watch, curious if they'll be able to resist reapplication.

"The brats are aboard! They've taken away four of my toys!" Klarion complains as he changes calibrations and orders. Vandal approaches me and puts the cuffs back on my wrists and ankles. Probably to make sure I can't help the Team now that they are aboard.

"Recall all League away missions. It's time to put these children in their place, once and for all." Savage orders. I continue to mindlessly stare at Roy, his head drifts in my direction, his face revealing slight signs of sadness. They've resisted.

"Finally!" Klarion gets ready to carry out the order when the cat on his shoulder meows. "Oh, yeah. Hey, Vandal, shouldn't those three be back online by now?" Klarion alerts Vandal to their resistance.

"What?" He is genuinely surprised. Canary screams, sending Green Lantern back against the wall. Red Tornado distracts Vandal as Roy runs to Green Lantern and plants a cure-tech chip on him. Canary screams at Klarion, but he just puts on a pair of earmuffs.

"You'll be sorry…!" Klarion grins like a sadistic child as a boom-tube opens and the six heavy hitting Leaguers come through. Superman, Wonderwoman, the other Green Lantern, Hawkwoman, Martian Manhunter, and Batman. I watch helplessly as the Leaguers easily subdue the three rogue heroes.

"The children have clearly reverse-engineered a Starro-Tech cure and vaccine. So there's no point in taking them alive." Vandal makes it clear that they will not be taking any prisoners. Seeing as they can't kill me, I'll be the only one left.

"Goody." Klarion smiles, probably contemplating the ways he could kill the Team. Vandal watches the team take down and cure every Leaguer before closing the security footage.

"Time to go." Vandal decides before the Team arrives in the mission room.

"Come on, we can take 'em!" Klarion seems overly optimistic, his cat rubbing on the side of his face like he wants it to happen too.

"Yes, but in the process, you'd lose control. Perhaps even destroy this station, and whether or not they're in our thrall, the Light still needs the Justice League alive, for phase two." Vandal is continuously monotonous towards Klarion as he walks over to me.

"We'll meet again someday, Veronica. Maybe then it won't be under such harsh circumstances." Vandal seems intrigued and attached to me. I just scoot closer to the glass.

"I wouldn't _lose control._" Klarion defends, but the cat meows, like a small argument. "Okay, yeah I'd bring the chaos." Klarion admits to being too unstable. He opens a portal and takes Vandal with him before Kid Flash can catch and attack them. I continue to lay there, in the corner. It's not like I can get up or call for their attention.

"Congratulations, Team. You have won the day." I hear Red Tornado say to them.

"Happy New Year, Justice League." The computer interface says, a little song beginning to play. I just sit there. It's 2011, I'm parentless, broken, and I've already experienced a miscarriage, all in one year. _What year I've had_.

"I should've done this a long time ago." I hear Kid Flash say, there is a little bit of body shuffling.

"No kidding." Artemis says, they go silent. I hear more shuffling of human interaction.

"Liking this team, more every day." A voice I'm guessing belongs to Rocket says. They are all silent until Red Tornado speaks up.

"Human customs still elude me." The android is probably commenting on the custom of kissing someone at the stroke of midnight on New Years. Roy runs in, coming straight for me. I don't know where he got it, but he has the remote. He presses the off button and takes my collar off. Roy removes the cuffs and the high tech muzzle. Something comes out of my mouth, over and over again, in a whisper.

"What are you saying?" Roy asks, holding my face in his hands. I look him dead in the eye and say it louder.

"I didn't know, but I lost it." I start crying. I can't stop it, everyone is happy and celebrating, and I'm crying. He picks me up and puts his arms around me. He walks me out of the room and takes me somewhere we can be alone. We end up in the garden, he sits us down against a tree, I'm leaning back on him and he has his arms around me.

"You need to tell me what happened, Ronnie." He says quietly in my ear. He strokes my hair.

"Vandal," I take a breath, "he kicked me in the stomach as hard as he could, I started to bleed, but it wasn't from an open wound Roy. I didn't even know, but I lost it." I whisper, continueing to sob. He doesn't say anything, just holds me. But after a while, Batman comes to find us. We don't say a word, Roy just helps me up and we follow Batman. We end up at a U shaped table with Batman, Robin, Captain Marvel, Red Tornado, Aqualad, Aquaman, Green Arrow, and Black Canary. They all continue the debriefing as I lay my head on my arms, crossed on the table. When I start to pay attention, Roy is talking.

"All I know is I need to find the real Roy." He looks off to the window. "I need to rescue Speedy." I just want to help him, this need to help him, so I put my hand on the table since it is wired up to the Watchtower mainframe, and I search for Speedy. From deleted files to security footage, I search.

"Guardian is already searching Cadmus." Batman informs us. But I know different.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but you won't find anything at Cadmus. I'm currently watching live footage from the Cryogenic Division of Cadmus. Unless I'm looking at mannequins and people in costumes, the Light is collecting pods of experiments that they are deeming important. There is a clone that looks like Connor and… " I look at his arm through the camera. "Speedy. They are wheeling his pod to the elevator. I'm tracking, but you're gonna need to intercept if you want to get Speedy as quickly as possible." I tell them. I keep watching the footage at Cadmus.

"I'm sending Superman, Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman, the Lanterns and the Team. Arrows, I suggest you go along too." Batman orders. I hook myself up to the radio wave and set it up to be on the speakers at the table.

"Something else is wrong." Batman looks to Robin. I continue to focus on the security footage while listening. So far, they haven't left Cadmus.

"The entire League was under Savage's spell for just over a day. We accounted for most of that time, but these six went missing for a full 16 hours we _can't _account for." Robin addresses as he pulls up the six Leaguers on the holo computer at the end of the table.

"Sixteen hours What did we do?" Batman questions, he looks to me.

"One thing at a time Batman, I can only do so much right now." I say in a low tone, keeping watch on the people.

"Green Arrow to Watchtower, we are in position. Is he still on the premises?" I hear GA on the speaker I set up. All that remains at the table now is Red Tornado, Me, Robin, Batman, and Aquaman.

"Yes, they are headed for a truck at the south east entrance. You're going to have to intercept." I inform them.

"We've got eyes, the Team is moving in now." We receive an update. I see everything from different points through different security cameras. The fight ensues, but once the Leaguers intervene, the members of the Light flee through boom tube portals that open up suddenly in different places. But, at least we have the other clone and Speedy, right?


	20. Chapter 20

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Royal Memorial Hospital, Star City**

**Sunday, January 2nd, 2011**

"So, lemme get this straight," Speedy begins, he's awake and infuriated that he's only got an arm and a half. "While I was on ice, you found another Roy Harper, the sidekicks formed their own team, the League was taken over for a few days, you found a technopath who managed to find me on her _first try_, and Olly grew that dopey goatee?" Speedy rubs his chin with his hand, looking absurdly at Green Arrow, or _Oliver Queen_, as I've obviously found out.

"We try not to call ourselves sidekicks." My Roy looks down and rubs the back of his head. I know he is completely uncomfortable in being in the presence of Speedy.

"You don't like the goatee?" seems to be the only thing sticking out to Oliver that Roy has said. I stifle a laugh, this is the most awkward situation. But, I'm not one to talk, Roy made me go to one of the O.B.s here to make sure I was fine. Now I just can't take anything seriously. But for my sake, it's actually helping after recent events, to not be serious.

"So missing the point!" Speedy snaps at Oliver. I'm starting to find that I might be able to get used to the fifteen year old being around. "You've both been talking around it all day and she hasn't said a word. Now, I want answers. What happened to me, how can there be another Roy Harper, and _what happened to my arm!?_" He yells harshly, looking right at Oliver. If they don't answer him, I will.

"Okay, okay." Roy puts his hands up, Oliver is just looking at the floor. Roy sits in the chair next to Speedy. "We wanted to wait until you were strong enough but I guess the moment's here." He looks Speedy right in the eye.

"Moment's past! Get to it." Speedy is even more hot headed than Roy, and I've only known this one for a few hours.

"What's the last thing you remember before we found you at Cadmus?" Roy asks, worried about the answer. It strikes an emotional chord with Speedy.

"I've been trying to piece that together. I remember investigating a Lexcorp shell company that we suspected of smuggling weapons to North Rhelasia. Some Lexcorp goons got the drop on me. I remember feeling embarrassed, then, nothing." He looks off past the three of us, seemingly more depressed than he is letting on. Oliver steps closer, finally.

"That's right. They grabbed you." Oliver is about to drop the ball. "The thing is, Roy, that was three years ago." He basically just ripped off the bandaid, hoping for the best.

"What?!" Speedy is completely taken off guard. I'm sure he just felt like he went to sleep. Maybe guessed that it was for a few months.

"Lex Luthor and the Light, this criminal organization he works with, abducted you." Roy is getting completely serious. "They amputated your arm."

"Why?" Speedy isn't taking this very well at all. "To keep me from using my bow?" He isn't seeing the bigger picture.

"No." Roy is starting to feel ashamed, I put my hand on his shoulder in an attempt to console him as he speaks. "They needed an endless supply of your dna, to perfect their human cloning process." He just puts it out there. Speedy lifts his stub of an arm and just looks at it for a moment.

"So that's what you are, a clone." Speedy seems completely disgusted and violated towards Roy, but that is no way to be. Roy didn't ask to be a clone. He made his own life, made his own choices, so there is no reason to put him down for being a clone. I don't see him as one, I see him as a person, unlike most who've learned the truth.

"Yeah, they grew me." He leans back in the chair. "Or rather, _force_ grew me. In a matter of months, I looked your age. They programmed me with all your memories, skills, and worse." Roy is starting to have a ruminating hatred. But I just sit next to him and make sure he'll be fine.

"Then they spoon fed me clues to your location. I thought I was doing detective work, but in hindsight…" Oliver sighs. He's having trouble finding the words to admit his lack of focus during that time. "You'd been missing three months, I had been going crazy, but when I found you, him," He gestures to Roy. "I didn't question the good fortune, I had no idea it wasn't the real, the original you. I had no idea Luthor had stored you on ice all this time." Oliver looks completely ashamed.

"So… what you're saying is, you took my place," He looks to Roy, "You've been living my life, for three years." Roy looks down, hurt by the words. I get irritated.

"Alright, I'm breaking my silence, which probably isn't the best thing consider what happened to me the forty eight hours prior to your discovery. But he wasn't living _your_ life. Your life was put on hold the minute you were frozen. This Roy, forged a life of his own. It wasn't your life, he made his own decisions, made his own experiences, and knew exactly what to do the minute he realized you were out there. He wanted to find you, so I went ahead and found you for him. With everything that's happened, you need to realize that he is just a copy of you. He may look like you, but you are _not_ one and the same. You have your life, he has his." When I finish, I realize I stood up and Speedy is starting to cower before me. Definitely not the best experience to have after being asleep for three years.

"She's right." Speed finally says, looking at Oliver. "Seems to me that he didn't do anything wrong, he didn't ask for this. Plus, he and the girl are the reasons I was found at all. I can't blame him for this." He starts to get angry. "But I can totally blame you!" HE lurches forward and grabs oliver with his one arm. "We were partners, friends. How could you not have known I had been replaced?!" He yells. "How could you leave me in Luthor's hands for three years?" His hand grips tighter on Oliver's collar. The great Green Arrow just looks down. "And how did I not see how useless you are?" Speedy leans back and looks away. We are all in shock from his outburst. "Get out!" He snaps. Oliver just walks away.

"Go talk to him, I can watch Speedy." I tell Roy. He nods and follows his former mentor.

"Look, uh, Ronnie. I need some time to process all of this." He tries to get me to leave. I pick up on what he's doing.

"You're trying to get me to leave so you can go after Luthor, aren't you?" I raise an eyebrow at the kid, sitting at the end of his bed indian style.

"How did you…?" He sits up, directly addressing em for the first time.

"Cause I've tried the same thing, except I went after the Shadows. I was about to fry every living being on that compound until Roy showed up. He stopped me, so I'm stopping you." I tell him simply. He get's a little curious.

"What kind of weapon did you end up creating that could successfully do that?" He asks, I guess they've only told him about my technokinesis.

"I didn't. I'm also electrokinetic and magnokinetic. All I had to do was build up enough energy and release it. Would have been a big enough surge to stop everyone's hearts, like a defibrillator used the wrong way." I tell him. He's actually even more curious. I guess I'm a nice distraction for him.

"So are you immune to electricity and things or…" He asks, I can't help but laugh a little.

"I regenerate…" I say, suddenly remembering something. "When I was born, my mother would have died, but my blood was still in her system, so she healed without a scratch until my blood filtered out. Maybe you had a transfusion of my blood, you would get your arm back." I look at him, he begins to gain hope. I get up off his bed and with a wave of my hand, the metal lock on the door closes.

"Are you actually doing to do this?" He asks as I rummage through drawers to get the things I need. I just get a massive needle and draw as much blood as I possible can, then injecting it into an iv bag. I do this a few times until the bag is full, just to be sure.

"Oh I'm doing this." I tell him, he smiles like an excited little kid as I hook him up to the iv. As it begins to drip and transfused with his own blood, I unravel the bandaging on his arm. It is still scabbed and stitched from the day the removed it. Perk of being frozen, there is still a direct wound. I cut the stitches and pull them out despite the kid fighting the burning feeling of the string being pulled through his skin. His arm begins to elongate, growing back, but at a slow pace.

"It's working." Speedy is just sitting there, smiling. There is a knock on the door, but I ignore it. They knock again but Speedy has three fourths of his arm back, I don't open the door. He lifts his arm to watch it grow back better. The door is kicked open, but Roy and Oliver just watch in awe as Speedy's hand begins to grow.

"What did you do?" Oliver asks, running up to Speedy.

"Transfusion of my blood gives you my healing factor until it filters out of your system. His wound was still there from when they removed it, so I thought I'd give it a go." I tell them simply. They are speechless. I just can't get over how happy Speedy is. As depressed and broken I felt earlier, it feels good to help him, giving him the best chance at a remotely normal life. "He tried to get me to leave so he could go after Luthor earlier. I'd keep a very close watch on him." I say as I begin to walk out.

"Where are you going?" Roy asks me. I stop and turn to face him.

"I'm going home. I'll see you later." I tell him before exiting the room. I make my way to the zeta tube a few blocks away. It recognizes me and I step inside the run down blue police box. When I appear back in the Batcave, no one is around. I'm sure they are all scrambling to investigate and piece together answers about the missing sixteen hours. There was nothing on file of what they did if they did anything on earth, and considering they returned through a boom tube, they probably went off world. That's all the information I could give them, so now, I'm just going upstairs to my room.

In my room, I've started to do what Alfred called _nesting_. The walls are now a lavender with one exception of having magnetic chalkboard paint. The desk and the bedframe have been painted black, my bedding electric blue and the curtain on the windows and my bedframe are white. The walls in the bathroom are red with the tiles replaced with black. I strip right down as I walk to the bathroom, locking myself inside, and turning on the hot water. When the bath is filled, I step in and slide down so my face is just barely above the water line. I just lay there, in the hot water, thinking about what could have happened if Vandal hadn't did what he did. I submerge myself completely.

I would have been the teen pregnancy story sparked by the death of my parents and rebellion of my adopted family. But I could have pulled it together, raised he or she with Roy. They would have had a happy life. I would have tried my best to make sure they never experienced loss. They would grow up, and if they had powers or not, Roy and I would train them. We would even support them if they didn't want to be a hero. They would have a happy life, and they would have loving parents.

When I feel the burning in my lungs, I take that as a sign to float back up to the surface. It doesn't take long for me to clean myself and wash my hair. I just sit as the water drains with all of my suds. When the tub is empty, I climb out and put on some clothes, letting my hair drip as I lay down on my bed. My mind runs blank, my body drifting to sleep for the first time since Santa Prisca.


	21. Chapter 21

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Mount Justice**

**Thursday, January 20th, 2011**

Garfield Logan just moved into the Cave. Since everyone else has school, and I can work from wherever I am, I volunteered to hang around and make sure he's okay. Bruce said it would be good for me as well as Garfield. I can help him mourn as well as move past his loss, and he can do the same with mine. So, here I am, in the kitchen, making him a cheeseburger, the fries bakinging in the oven. He looks pretty down, so as soon as his burger and fries are on a plate in front of him, I pull out the blender. With just some ice cream, milk, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream, I manage to make him a chocolate shake.

"Thanks." He smiles at me. Taking a sip. I just sit down across from him and watch him eat as I go through the charts from the patients in my human trials with the nanobots. After a while, I look up to see him staring at my tablet, watching me do my statistics work.

"You curious?" I ask him, snagging one of his leftover fries on his plate.

"What are you doing?" He asks, looking at all the graphs I have set up side by side with each patient's chart to show progress.

"I'm doing human trials for a nanotech cure for cancer. It doesn't work much with bone marrow cancer, but it works really well with tumors and scattered mets. I even have a patient with a satellite colony in her lungs. She's actually getting better by the day. What I'm doing right now, is graphing their charts to show progress and changes in their chemical balances." I explain to him, he's listening intently. For an eight year old, he seems surprisingly interested in this stuff.

"My mom used to do stuff like this, but with vaccinations for the animals on the reserve." He says quietly. I reach across the table and hold his little hand.

"I know you miss her," I start. "I miss mine too." He looks at me with a confused look.

"Your…?" He asks and I nod. His plate and cup are empty, so I get up and take them to the sink.

"End of November. Hit and run accident." I tell him, remembering that his own mother was enthralled by Queen Bee to drive her car off a cliff. He comes into the kitchen and stands next to me as I clean the dishes.

"Mine was last Sunday. I guess M'gann had something with my mom, so now I'm here." He shrugs. I pull out the ice cream and hand him a spoon. He takes it and just starts dragging the spoon around in the ice cream.

"I had something like that. My parents had something set up, so that if anything happened, I would go to someone they trusted." I tell him, scooping some ice cream and taking a bite.

"Well at least we are with family, right?" He looks up at me and give a little half smile, finally taking a bit of the ice cream.

"Right." I give him a smile. "Why don't we take the ice cream to the couch and watch something on the tv? Whatever you want." He nods and we move, the two of us sitting on the sofa and he picks Animal Planet, of all things. He seems to like watching Big Cat Diary, but when it ends and some sort of chimpanzee rescue show comes on, he is completely tuned it. As he leans forward and sits on the edge of his seat, watching the monkeys, I notice his skin is gaining a greenish tint. He notices my worried staring.

"What?" He looks back at me. "Do you not like monkeys?" He gestures to the television, but I notice his skin is returning to normal. I shake my head.

"No, you're fine. Ignore me." I give him a smile and he goes right back to watching. But as soon as he completely tunes back into the monkeys, his skin begins to turn green again. "Garfield, are you feeling okay?" I ask him as he watches.

"I feel fine, why?" He doesn't take his eyes off the screen.

"You look a bit green, that's all." I tell him. He finally looks back at me and he looks completely confused. This time, the green sticks. He gets up and runs. I chase after him, only to find him in the boys' locker room, looking in the mirror.

"I'm turning green." Is all he can say as even his hair tints a dark green. I grab my phone out of my pocket and call M'gann. It's lunch time so she better answer. The first ring, I'm calm. The second ring, I'm nervous. Third ring, I'm about to freak out but she answers just before the fourth ring.

"How's babysitting Garfield?" is what she answers with.

"M'gann, I swear to god. If you know something I don't about Garfield, I'm going to kill you." The line is quiet. "M'gann, he's turning green! We were watching animal planet and his skin, his hair, all started to turn green. Weird part? He's still green!" I shout into the phone. Panicking. I've never babysat a kid in my life and if this is how it goes, I must be a terrible babysitter.

"I'll be home as soon as possible, Connor will stay at school and bring Zatanna home later." She hangs up the phone and I just look at Garfield. He looks just as nervous.

"M'gann has some cookie dough in the fridge, why don't we eat some until she get's back. Will that help you calm down?" I ask and he nods his head. We go in the kitchen and I give him just a spoon of dough and he just takes little bits of it between looking at different areas of skin that are currently green. I'm giving him another spoonful of dough when the cave computer announces the arrival of M'gann as she enters from one of the exterior entrances. The martian flies in as fast as she possible can and she assesses Garfield.

"How long ago did this happen?" M'gann asks me.

"It started maybe ten or fifteen minutes ago. He went completely green maybe five minutes ago." I tell her, Garfield keeps looking at his arms.

"I'm starting to think it looks pretty cool. I look just like you, M'gann." Garfield celebrates. "Hey, maybe it's from that blood transfusion, I mean, my eyes did immediately turn green from that. Maybe the rest was delayed?" He asks. My eyes widen and I stare right at M'gann.

"You gave a human a blood transfusion? That is dangerous on so many levels! He could mutate because of your alien dna!" I begin to freak out.

"He was dying, I just morphed my blood to match his and it worked, he's alive." M'gann tries to calm me down, but I'm just going south.

"M'gann, if you morphed your blood to match his…" I start but am distracted by a tail flitting around behind Garfield. "Hey, Gar," I get his attention, "are you thinking about monkeys right now?" I watch his tail.

"Yeah, my pet monkey from the sanctuary… How did you know?" He asks with an eyebrow raised.

"Garfield, you have a tail." I tell him as I look to M'gann with a smile. "I believe you gave him shapeshifting." I tell her, watching Garfield try and get a glimpse of his new appendage.

"This is so cool!" He turns around to look at his tail, grabbing it so he can see it up close. It has green fur, like his hair. The tail disappears and he is suddenly disappointed.

"What's wrong, Gar?" M'gann asks him. He shakes his head.

"I tried to change into Gojira. It was mom's favorite old film, but I can't." He looks at the floor. M'gann pulls him into a hug to console him.

"Don't worry, your mom would be proud of you anyway. Besides, we can just teach you to control it." M'gann says quietly. I'm starting to feel empty, seeing M'gann being so motherly to Garfield, holding him and stroking his hair. She looks back to me. "Thanks for telling me, by the way."

"No problem." I grab my things and put them back in my bag. "Do you want to get back to school now that you know he's fine or…?" I ask her, making sure all my things are cleaned up just in case.

"I'm gonna stay here with Gar." She says simply. I grab my stuff and get ready to leave. It's proving harder to be around the two of them. It's not like I don't like them, it's just what they have that makes me feel… _everything_.

"I'm going to head out then." I tell them. M'gann gets a confused look, but I'm sure she is picking up my emotions. I turn and go, heading for the zeta tube. It recognizes me and I head home. It's nice that I can just zeta to the Batcave and just take a short elevator ride to get home. Once in my room, I set up my work on my bed and finish up what I was doing at the cave. When I finally finish, I pull out my bucket of chalk and start messing around with the wall with chalkboard paint. The white, yellow and blue swirls are beginning to remind me of Van Gogh. When I'm halfway done, my phone rings. I silently pick up.

"Ronnie? You there?" It's Roy. He's had his hands full with Speedy.

"Yeah, I'm here." I say as I curl up on my bean bag. I don't really know what to say to him, about the situation I was put in. I know he wants me to open up, let him in, but I'm having trouble doing that. I used to be pretty open with him, but I've gone through a lot that has really backed my into a corner. I don't really even know how to handle myself.

"I haven't seen you in a while, is everything okay?" He asks, his voice nearly bringing me to tears.

"Yeah, everythings fine. Just needed some time, you know?" I get out without letting on my current state.

"Ronnie, I know when you're lying to me. You're not fine." He points out, his voice becoming stern.

"How would you know if I was lying? We're on the phone." I say as I hear someone coming down the hall. No one ever comes close to my room. It's in a completely different part of the manor than everyone elses.

"Because Dick called me, Ronnie." He says as he comes through my door. I quite literally drop my phone. He slowly comes toward me, maybe he thinks he might provoke me. "He said that you haven't been going on missions, when they need you, you just coordinate from home. He said you barely come out of your room, you haven't been eating enough, you aren't sleeping. I was specifically told he saw you sitting on the couch in the main living room, and when he came home early in the morning from patrol, you were in the exact same spot. Didn't move, same position, staring out the window." Everything he says strikes chord after chord. My eyes are watering and it's getting harder to breath. He's now standing right before me, looking down.

"So," I begin bitterly, "what are you going to do?" I say in a low voice, annunciating each word angrily, a single tear finally falling. He leans down and kisses my forehead.

"I'm going to be here for you." He says as he sits down next to me on the rather large bean bag. He pulls me down, so I curl back up. He wraps himself around me, like he's trying to barricade me from the rest of the world, his arm draped over me his hand resting on my stomach. After a few hours, I can't hold back to sobs anymore.

"How could I have not known? It's something I should have known." I finally let out, sobbing and pulling on my hair.

"It's not your fault. We both addressed the thought and disregarded it. It was too early for you to know if you were without getting tested." He consoles me, stroking my hair, holding me tighter.

"I was late, and I ignored it. You heard the obstetrician, I was seven weeks. I should have figure it out." I say between sobs. "And he just went and blocked the only thing that would have kept it alive. I know I'm not ready but it's still hard." I just let it out.

"And it's okay to feel that way." He tells me. After that, we just lay there for a while. When I finally gain control of the sobs, he picks me up off the bean bag and lays me down on my bed. He's about to leave when I stop him.

"Roy, will you stay with me?" I ask, my eyes still red and puffy. He nods and lays down on the bed. We just lie there together, my head on his chest and his arms around me. I just drift to sleep with the steady rise and fall of his chest as he falls asleep with me.


	22. Chapter 22

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**The Batcave**

**Tuesday, February 1st, 2011**

I'm working on going through Cadmus and Lexcorp files and I have been since early this morning. Under Bruce's instructions, I amd to only do this in the Batcave. I'm investigating for answers to the missing sixteen hours and about the Light when Batman arrives in the Batmobile with Robin. They were out on one of their dynamic duo escapades around the crime districts of Gotham. I expand the files so they may easily look through them when they come by. So far, I just have documentation of Luthor's illegal actions as well as correspondence with Cadmus, including orders and information files on cadmus projects. I also have specific documentation of the order and execution of Projects Kr, Match, and the Side Kick initiative.

"You should be exorcising the new technique we've been working on." Batman recommends as he pulls down his cowl and approaches my work station. I take a step back from the holo computer and focus, controlling the computer with mental commands. I gain a level of satisfaction when I feel Bruce's hand on my shoulder as he looks on at my work.

"That's pretty cool. I bet you could get to a point where you don't even need a computer." He comments before changing and heading upstairs, bringing his tool belt like a good little bird. I've been having a good day so far, avoiding the thing I should be celebrating today.

"You should go upstairs. You've enough for today, you can pick back up tomorrow." Bruce says as he emerges from the over side of a wall, dressed in normal clothing. I nod.

"There is a series of files missing in the collection I have. I put them all in order by serial number, and one is missing. They should entail the results from a _project beast_ that was initiated, but without the files, I only have a mention of the title, no basis information at all." I shrink all the files back down and continue searching. "They must have either been deleted or removed onto an exterior drive, but if I keep working, I can find the echo copy in the dark space of the internet. Since nothing it ever really deleted, I could find it there." I keep going, but Bruce steps in front of me and holds my shoulders.

"You've been doing this long before Dick and I went out on patrol, you need to take a break." He almost orders me. I let out a sigh and turn off the holo computer after saving my progress.

"Fine. I'll take a break." I run my hands through my hair and begin walking to the express elevator. Bruce follows, putting his hand back on my shoulder.

"Atta girl. You'll thank me later." He has a sudden smile on his face. The two of us go and take the express elevator back up to the manor. He follows me to my room but doesn't enter. He remains standing in the doorway as I see the two shiny and perfectly wrapped presents on my bed. "Happy Birthday, by the way." He says in a completely nonchalant tone.

"How…?" I look to him, but he is already gone. He did his thing where he sneak away without you really knowing where he went. I walk to the door and look down the hall before close it. The presents on my bed are daunting, with their bright and shiny silver wrapping paper and cobalt blue bows. I've been avoiding the significance of today all day. It's my first birthday without my parents and it feels positively wrong. But, I guess it's something to get used to.

Every year, on my birthday, my mother would wake me up in the morning, no matter if it was a school day or the weekend. She would come in singing _happy birthday_ and holding a tray of pancakes and a smoothy. Breakfast in bed was a tradition on birthdays in our household. I have the best memories making them for my parents, especially my dad. He and I had a lot of fun cooking together. He always made it into a game. We would see who could make the most perfect pancake or who manages to flip their omelet completely first. But I guess that's gone now. Along with birthday dinners and vacations abroad. One year, we took my father to Turks and Caicos for his birthday. Just last year when I turned sixteen, they took me out of school and brought me to Tanegashima, Japan. Surfing with my mom was great and the highlight was when my dad took me to the Space Center. As a big investor of major organizations around the world, my dad got to see all the cool stuff. I even got to see first hand, the engineers and physicists working to make an adjustment to improve the fuel intake and increase speed of the launch. The trip was mainly just downtime, just me and my parents on some island somewhere.

Thinking back on all these memories, they no longer make me feel sad, but more fond and nostalgic. I'm getting to the point where I can think of my moments with my parents and not think about the pain of them being taken from me. But I can easily think of them, no longer growing depressed at their thought. I can finally just reminisce, but the pit of my stomach brings me realize how much I still miss them. But, I just push everything aside, and approach the presents.

The silver wrapping paper crinkles as I pull the cobalt blue bow loose on the smaller present. On top of a holo box is a small note.

_Veronica, _

_Amidst the contents of your inherited estate, Alfred discovered old family movies and photos. I thought you would like them, so had them all rendered to be displayed by the holo box. I hope you enjoy it. _

_Happy Birthday, _

_Bruce_

I look right at the little holo box and with a wave of my hand, it floats over to the center of the room on the floor, and activates, running through a perfect and high resolution slide show of my parents and I, as well as a few others. I sit down on the bed and open the larger box. Before I even look at the contents of the box, a video begins to play and I can't help but watch. There is a little holographic me jumping around and laughing in a shiny pink leotard. My father is behind the camera and my mother is trying to get me to listen to the instructor.

"_Come on, sweetheart! We saw you do it earlier, so will you please do it for the camera?" My dad says to me. I stop bouncing around but the smile remains. Such a small sigh comes from such a small girl. _I sometimes forget that I've just always been on the small side.

"_Okay, I'll do it." The younger me says. She moves into space, runs and does a little roundoff. _

"_Yes, Ronnie, that was beautiful!" My mother picks me up into her arms and I stare past the camera at my father and the clip stops. _My eyes are watering, but a smile crosses my face. That has to be one of the earliest moments in my gymnastics career. I have to be at least six or seven judging by the ribbon in the bun and the abundance of pink. My parents are just happy and blissful with their little girl.

I look to the box and the contents happen to be a stack of books. I open the one on the top and a note is inside. Two notes in one day is… kind of nice, right?

_Ronnie, _

_I saw the books on your bookshelf and found that you don't have the complete set of the ones that seem to be your favorite. I also got the manuscript of the one that will be released in a few months and the two books from a similar but separate series from the same author. The manuscript is bound like the others to keep it all together. I hope you like them. _

_Happy Birthday, _

_Dick_

I guess his detective skills served him well because he was right. The books are my favorite. My mother bought the first one for me and I was hooked. The series is oriented around greek mythology but with continuation of modern era. The second series is supposed to be adding Roman and the separate series is Egyptian. She used to love mythology and always told me about it before bed when I was little. So, the books kind of resonated with me. Almost makes this present even more meaningful. I put all the books on my bookshelf, aside from the one that comes after the last book I read of the series. I sit in my bean bag and begin to read.

"_Chapter One, I go cruising with explosives: The end of the world started when a pegasus landed on the hood of my car."_

**Author's Note: Sorry for the short chapter, but I've had an extremely busy week! I'll try to update a lot more this week considering I'm officially on spring break. -thegirlwhoisstillwaiting**


	23. Chapter 23

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Belle Reve Penitentiary**

**Tuesday, March 16th, 2011**

_Flashback _

"_We need to prove that Belle Reve has been compromised. The four of you are going in." Batman says as each of us are handed boxes of things entailing our undercover identities. Mine just so happens to include a box of temporary hair dye, colored contacts, and glasses. The other three are Wally, Zatanna, and M'gann. I look over and see that Wally and Zatanna also are going to have the misfortune of hair dye. "Kid Flash and Tesla, you will be representatives of the Government Security Division, there to update security systems and hardware of the interface controlling the inhibitor collars. You're going to plant bugs in the system as well as sweep for information that may be off the books. Miss Martian and Zatanna, you are representatives of the CIA, just doing routine inspection of executive productivity. Interview the high ranking personnel, then remove the memory of your questions. Tesla will take care of the security cameras." Batman orders. "Get prepared and meet for departure in the hangar." He dismisses us and the four of us just look at eachother. _

* * *

Wally and I enter the main surveillance room. I immediately reach out and start searching ro abnormalities. Wally opens up the side of the surveillance station and starts checking wires, secretly planting bugs on the wires but out of site in case someone else opens it up later. I get on the main computer and begin downloading a software that is supposed to make the security system even more impenetrable… well… impenetrable to everyone but me. Can't keep me out of anything.

"I think this one is faulty, Sarah. Could you bring me an extra of one of the orange wires?" Wally asks me. I still can't get over the fact that we are Smith and Jones. But it seems fitting that I'm Smith.

"Yeah, medium or short?" I ask as I go to our crate and pull out the bag of orange.

"Medium." He says and I grab one of the mediums, bringing it to him. I watch to make sure he replaces the wire properly. He does but I'm completely droning right now. I'm _extremely_ overqualified for this mission and it's proving ridiculous. I check in mentally with M'gann and Zatanna, finding them interviewing the new psychiatrist. I read into the database and find that her name's _Harleen Quinzel_. Well, that's going in the report. What is Harley doing in Louisiana? I didn't think that she would want to leave Gotham while Joker was in Arkham. Wally and I finish up working in here and pack up. I look to the guard and get ready to use my most gingerly voice.

"Could you show us to the Warden's office? We have to assess the security from there now that we've finished with the surveillance office." I ask in, adjusting the un-prescription horn rimmed glasses on my face.

"Right this way, Ms. Smith. Do you need any assistance with the equipment Mr. Jones?" The officer asks Wally as he begins to lead us down a corridor.

"No, I'm alright, Thank you." Wally gives a polite smile. He looks weird with blonde hair and a suit. We walk past a mirror and I see a flash of myself. Brown hair smoothed back into a straightened ponytail and dark brown eyes hiding behind big horn rimmed glasses. I look awkwardly prim and proper in a pantsuit and oxfords. Ever since we walked in here, I've been subconsciously controlling the security system, keeping the prisoners on lockdown while searching the security footage and things for abnormalities. Currently, I'm keeping an eye on Zatanna and M'gann. They are in midst of interviewing Warden Hugo Strange. I still found it weird that the psychiatrist became the warden. It's not even clear why they would replace Amanda Wallor.

"Tom, will you toss me the screwdriver? I have to check the wiring." I look to Wally. The guard looks confused.

"Why would you need to check the wiring in the warden's office?" The guard reaches for his radio, I quickly cut it off to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. I see Wally tense up. He's over at the wall, working at a panel.

"Just routine. I have to make sure none of the wires are going to wear out." I tell him quickly as I remove the cover on the back of the desk, revealing the wiring. He calms down and I notice Wally relax. While the guard isn't looking, I plant a bug on each major wire to ensure connection to Batman. I place the cover back on as Wally moves to the computer.

"I'm just turning it on, making sure it all functions properly." Wally tells the suspicious guard as I slip a bug on the back of the computer tower. After we finish up, I mentally check back in with M'gann and Zatanna. M'gann shapeshifted to be on the older side and Zatanna's hair is bleached and dyed to be red. They are talking to head of security. As I watch, I realize there is a database here that is digital, but everything is entered and downloaded manually. I wouldn't have been able to access it without being on the premises. It is completely cut off from the internet.

"You seem a bit young to be working for the government." The guard says to Wally and I. The currently blonde speedster smirks.

"We get that a lot, especially her." He half laughs like it's no problem. I stifle a giggle. He finally has the chance to make a character out of himself.

"We've been nicknamed the freshmen by our co workers." I comments nonchalantly. Wally puts his fist out and I bump it.

"They're just jealous because we're going to look in our twenties well into our forties." Wally laughs. I stop smiling. That brings up the daunting question of whether or not I can actually age. But, I push it aside. We finish up in the office, bugs and things planted everywhere.

"I believe that's it, sir. Could you be so kind as to bring us back to our colleagues?" I ask the guard in a gingerly tone. He smiles and opens the door, gesturing down the hall. Wally and I gather up our equipment and follow him. It's not long before we make it to the lounge where M'gann and Zatanna are finishing up their meeting with the last person. Warden Strange follows us in.

"Well, is that all, Mrs. Han and Ms. Smith?" The Warden look to M'gann and I. M'gann nods.

"Yes, I installed a software that strengthens the security system to be completely impenetrable, so your security systems should be in tip top shape now." I tell him. He seems displeased at first but he puts on a smile.

"Thank you. We here at Belle Reve are always welcome to these visits." He shakes my hand and moves to the others to shake theirs.

"Well, we'll be on our way." I say and in that moment, I collect an abundance of abnormalities. I send a copy to myself for analyzation. It's full of falsified security footage and unauthorized entrances and exits. I send another copy to Batman as the four of us are escorted out of Belle Reve and to our truck. I drive since I am the only one legally allowed to drive with other people in the car. On the way to our rendezvous point with Aqualad, conversation ensues.

"In our interview with Warden Strange, he seemed to dance around the subject of security and interactions with the prisoners." M'gann says as she she remains an older lady.

"Yeah, he gave us super elaborate answers that seem to make us feel like he gave us an answer but he didn't even stay on topic. Just used his skills as a psychiatrist to get around things." Zatanna knits her eyebrows and crosses her arms. Sometimes I forget that she is still only fourteen and is just slipping into her hormonal teenager phase.

"Well it's a good thing I got a bunch of undocumented security breaches and such off their server." I tell them as I turn the truck down a dirt road. At the end, a Green Lantern is waiting for us so he can take the truck after we board the bioship.

"Hey, Hal." Wally smirks as he gets out of the car to greet the Lantern.

"Kid, is that you? The hair…" The Lantern jokes as he ruffles Wally's blonde hair. "I don't like it."

"I don't like it either, I'm dying it back as soon as I make it home." Wally huffs as he boards the Bioship. Zatanna snickers as she walks.

"Hey, Hal." She gives him a fist bump and he explodes it.

"Hey, Zee. How's it goin?" He get's this look. I assume he feels guilty working with her father as Doctor Fate. She smiles.

"I'm good." She says before boarding the Bioship. M'gann and I follow the other two as the Lantern uses his ring and flies off with the truck in a glowing green aura. The Bioship lifts off as I find my seat with the others.

* * *

**The Batcave**

We were all briefed and sent home. I gave my full report and now I'm working on finding answers with all of the information I've accumulated since New Years, including the information I retrieved from Belle Reve. I all the proof of who the light is connected with, what they've done, what they've covered up, but not what the six Leaguers did during the missing sixteen hours. Nothing. But, I keep working, going over things to see what I've missed. But this is the biggest mystery of them all, if they kept this completely out of digital documentation, I can't solve it.

"Any luck." Bruce suddenly says out of the silence, I jump.

"You really shouldn't do that, sneaking up on people." I tell him and he looks over my work, releasing a deep chuckle.

"You really didn't hear me zeta in? That's a first." He says before letting out a sigh.

"Still no leads to what the six Leaguers did?" He asks as I continue going over everything.

"You had to be off world, there is no evidence of the six of you anywhere on Earth. But I don't know where, why, or how far out you could have gone. They never said anything to me when I was in Watchtower," I pause and he puts a hand on my shoulder. "The said off-world missions but they never said where. My guess is as good as yours, somewhere they could demonstrate your powers or the powers of the Earthlings." It's all I can say as we work together. I feel his hand grab one of my curls.

"The brown is… _different_." He says as he drops the curl.

"Well, it was your idea." I smirk as I take a step back from the holo computer, looking at everything as a whole. "I'm going in town tomorrow to get my hair color back. I made an appointment early in the morning so it won't impede on anything you have scheduled for the team tomorrow." I tell him as I turn off the holo computer after saving my progress. I get ready to walk to the express elevator.

"Were are you going?" He asks as I walk the the elevator.

"I've done all I can for today. I'm going to change then go to Star City." I enter the elevator. "You might want to read my report sooner than later. One Harleen Quinzel is the new psychiatrist at Belle Reve Penitentiary." I tell him before the doors close and the elevator moves up the shaft. When I step out, I make for my room. I go to my closet and strip down, grabbing and pulling on a white longsleeved lace crop top and a royal blue skater skirt. I lace on a pair of black wooden block heels and get going. My currently brown hair is straightened and in a half. I put on some bright red lipstick and heavy eyeliner before going back downstairs and taking the zeta tube to Star City. I grab a cab downtown where I know Red and Green Arrows are with Arsenal stopping a Bank Robbery. I just stand behind the police tape, focusing on the inside. The robbers are holed up in the vault, participating in a firefight with the Arrows. I take the liberty to make all electrical wires emit a pulse to deactivate their weapons and short circuit the power in the vault. Within a few minutes, Green Arrow and Arsenal are escorting the criminals with Red Arrow hanging behind to ensure their deliverance to the police. As the criminals are being pushed into the back of a police car, I walk up to Red.

"Bet it was nice having the weapons shut down. Huh, Red?" I ask him. He turns around with the most confused look on his face. "Guess the hair is really throwing you." I comment as he gets a big grin on his face.

"What are you doing here?" He smiles, trying not to make contact to give anything away.

"Thought since we never got to, we should go dancing. I'll meet you back at your apartment." I tell him with a smile before walking away. I take a cab and go. At his place, I just go out onto the terrace to wait for him. Watching the sun get closer to setting, I barely hear Roy come in the door. He steps out onto the terrace and comes up behind me, putting his arms around me.

"Your hair is different." He whispers in my ear as he tightens the embrace. I turn to face him, leaning on the railing of the terrace.

"Had to dye it for a mission. It'll be back to normal tomorrow." I tell him as he kisses my neck. My hands run over his body as I grow weak at the knees. I pull him off of me.

"Go put on something moderately nice, then we can go." I tell him. He goes to walk away, grabbing my hand and twirling me around before going inside to change.


	24. Chapter 24

**Author's Note: Addressing Speedy. **

**He was bound to choose a new name anyway, seeming as the Clone Roy Harper took over that mantle when he was given the Real Roy's life. It would have made him more comfortable to differentiate himself from Clone Roy as much as possible. So he still shaves his head and everything, continuing where he left off. Sorry if I didn't explain that.**

* * *

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Washington D.C. **

**Saturday, April 23rd, 2011**

I'm running up the yard of the White House to make sure the president makes it to his bunker. The Injustice League has returned, but this time, they and their giant plants are concentrated in D.C. Ivy, Wotan, Ultra-Humanite and Count Vertigo are at the front lines with the plants. Joker and Atomic skull are hiding out somewhere and Black Adam is trailing me, smashing down walls as I try to beat him to the president. I keep running, slowly gaining in speed with my body supercharged to the point where I'm glowing with electricity. Each time Black Adam get's closer, I fire lightning at him. All of a sudden, two blurs of white and blue smash into Adam. I don't question it, I just keep running until I find the president.

"Mr. President, you need to get to the Bunker, now!" I order him. The secret service agents step up.

"We've been hacked. We can't open the bunker." They inform me, but I just laugh. there is a large boom somewhere else in the house.

"It's your lucky day, I'm a technopath. Now run!" I order them. They run and I follow. As soon as they get to the door, I force it open and force them inside. I shut the door after myself and follow them down. Any other day, I would stay topside and defend, but I was ordered by the League to stay down in the bunker and ensure that the President stays connected with the outside world. When we get to the bottom, the entire place is pitch black.

"We don't have any power down here." The agent from before says.

"Wrong again, Agent." I say as I walk over to the generator and release all the energy I have pent up. All of the lights and the computers flicker to life.

"Ever thought about working for the government?" The President asks as I begin creating all contact connections with the embassy, the Justice League, and all news stations to monitor the outside world.

"I was an agent of the government security division as my cover once, too boring." I smirk at the President as I watch the footage of the mysterious white and blue blurs.

"It's a shame, you'd be a valuable asset." He comments as I focus on the mysterious two blurs. It's a man and a teenage woman both bearing the same uniforms as Captain Marvel, but the woman is in white and the man is in blue and instead of pants, the woman is wearing a skirt type thing. Then I see something even more unbelievable.

"There is no way…" I force the news camera to zoom in on the teenage girl fighting alongside Wonder Woman. I've seen her once before but I never thought she would actually defend humanity. She looks different this time, still a mirror of Wonder Woman, but she has a black tank top with a plunging neckline that literally looks like it is shining with the starry night sky. Same goes for the pants and she is just flying around, beating the crap out of a giant plant in her silver boots, belt and wrist cuffs. I'm jealous. I would so much rather be fighting a giant plant than babysitting an old fart that someone thought it was a good idea to make leader of our country. I press the comm in my ear.

"Tesla to Justice League, President is secure and Black Adam is otherwise pre-occupied with what I'm going to nickname Marvels two and three." I report to my superiors. But, my heart skips a beat when plant vines begin coming in through the seams of the walls. "Tesla to League, this bunker sucks! The plants are getting in!" I report as I concentrate my electricity and begin slicing apart different vines in, going by whichever one is the longest.

"This is bunker is bomb proof, how are they getting in?" One of the Secret Service Agents ask.

"I will personally send a report after analysing the plants." I say as I quickly grab a severed bit and put it on one of the pouches in my utility belt.

"Superman to Tesla, bring the President top side and I'll fly him to the U.N." I hear in my comm. He sounds just like Connor.

"Acknowledged." I say before turning to the president. "Sorry that we can't settle anywhere but I have to get you topside, bunker isn't safe." I say as I start herding people into the massive elevator, as soon as they are all in, I fry all of the vines and get in the elevator with them. I force the car to move up the shaft faster than usual. As soon as the doors open.

"Were are we going?" One of the Agents asks as I look around.

"Superman!" I yell so loud that it sort of echos. I asses the situation. "He's probably fighting a plant and it's too hard to back here without breaking the place down, I have to get you out into the open." I tell the President as I grab his arm and lead him through the crumbling White House. There are explosions, the ground shaking, and flashes of energy but I keep moving. As soon as we are on the lawn, I look around.

"Where is he?" The President is freaking out. Leader of the country and nearly pees his pants when there's actually imminent danger. Before I have to yell again, Superman flies up. But suddenly, everything slows down. I sense in inbound piece of metal, I deduce it to be a bullet. I run in front of the President and pull him behind me. I stare past the line of the bullet and see the shooter just before the bullet pierces my skull. I hear the whoosh of Superman taking off with the President the nanosecond before I stumble, but now is not the time to be taken out of action. I can't see out one eye, so I'm guessing the bullet severed my optic nerve. I have this splitting pain as I feel my brain tissue contracting to expel the shards of metal out of the wound. I run with the pain and find the nearest plant, before I can attack, I'm engulfed in vines.

"What happened to you?" Poison Ivy looks at me with disgust as the second piece of shrapnel falls from my obliterated left eye.

"Deadshot missed." I spit the blood dripping into my mouth at her. She's taken aback as the third and fourth pieces of shrapnel fall out of my eye.

"How are you alive?" She laughs at me, the vines growing tighter. I emit thousands of volts of electricity and fry her fines, angering her.

"Haven't they told you?" I growl as I run at her. "You can't kill me!" I laugh as I flip at her, bringing my leg down on her head with just enough force to make her go unconscious. I climb up the giant plant and fry it. While doing so, I detect something massive transmitting to all of the plants all over D.C. Perks of training with Batman, you learn exactly what buttons to push. I run back over to Ivy and hit the pressure points at the top of the back of her neck and between her thumb and forefinger. Her eyes flutter open from the stimulation.

"What are you doing?" She asks as I plant my knee on her chest and ball her fists with my own hands.

"You are going to tell me where the antenna, the plant you are using to control the rest. Where. Is. It." I tell her as I slowly start to regain vision in my left eye.

"I don't have time to find it myself, you're going to tell my or I'm going to burn you like I burned your precious plants." I tell her as I produce a low level of electricity from my hands to her. I'm completely bluffing but it is the only way I'm going to get her to talk. "Tell me!" I press my knee harder onto her chest.

"Jefferson Memorial." She sputters. I let her go after numbing her hands with one quick shock.

"This is Tesla. I need a Speedster and I need one now! I am on the move a block east of the White House lawn and unless you want to fight another twenty six minutes, I need to get to the Jefferson Memorial, now!" I order into my comm.

"There aren't any plants at the Mall." Black Canary says in the comm frequency.

"Trust me, there is. Jefferson Memorial." I say into the comm, running to get a little head start. All of the sudden, a blur of red barrels down the street, picks me up, runs and drops me at the Jefferson Memorial before speeding off away from me. I run inside the memorial and there it is, a massive plant just coiled around the statue in the center of the marble structure. I approach the plant, but Atomic Skull is waiting for me. He fires an energy blast at me. I dive and roll out of the way. Another blast comes at me and hits my shoulder, sending me back into a column. I hear multiple cracks and my head hits making a sound like a bowling ball dropping straight onto an alley. I feel blood begin to cake in my hair but I ignore it. I erupt in energy, with a shrill scream, my own massive electromagnetic pulse. It knocks Atomic skull back and it only makes the plant flicker.

"Oh, I guess it's my turn." I hear a male voice say with a laugh as they emerge from the other side of the plant. I take my opportunity and mentally control the plant. It shuts down and the man emerges.

"Joker." I say, making sure my comm picked it up.

"I was hoping the little birdy would be here, but you'll have to do, sparkles." He runs at me as he pulls out two knives from his coat.

"Surprised Harley isn't here, I like her a lot better." I say as I dodge his first blow, bobbing and punching him in the stomach. "I heard she left you and went off to Alabama to be a psychiatrist to turn bad guys good again." I tell him as I rip the knife from his hands with the flick of my wrist.

"She didn't leave me! I kicked her out of Gotham!" He snaps at me, pulling a baseball bat out on his belt. I have no idea how he had that on him but I can't whisk it away as easily as the knives.

"That's not what I heard!" I sing, ducking as he takes a swing at me. I sweep his legs out from under him. He laughs as I step on his chest to keep him down.

"There is no way you heard squat, sparkles." He reaches into his coat and begins firing a handgun at me. I deflect bullet after bullet until he stops and shakes the gun, like it's empty.

"You're not getting out of this. You're going straight back to Arkham." I tell him with a bitter tone, but he's just putting up an act because he fires three more times. One in the neck, one in the left cheekbone, one in the jaw. The pain is excruciating, but I've been building up my tolerance.

"This is almost as fun as fighting the little bird." Joker grins, trying to get up, but I plant my foot harder on his chest. His expression turns south.

"God! What is with people and shooting me!" I say with my teeth clenched in attempt the keep the pain at bay. I look back and see Leaguers entering the memorial. I step off Joker and start coughing, spitting out two of the bullets. The other was pushed out when my facial muscles contracted. I walk straight up to Batman.

"Further orders?" I ask Batman. I'm sure behind his cowl, he is staring at all of the blood.

"The rest of the team will assist in the cleanup of the city. You, will return to the Team's HQ. Take a sample of the control plant and analyse it. The plants were stronger and more equipped with different defenses, find out what and how they were able to engineer these things." He orders. I nod and slice a large piece of the vine and take off, getting a grip on the magnetic fields around me, pushing myself into the sky. It's not as fast as the Flash, but it's faster than my running. I get to the zeta tube and teleport to the cave. First things first, I drop my samples off at the lab, allowing the computer to analyze the composition. While it's doing that, I go to the locker room and pull out one of the spare outfits that I keep here. I take the toiletries bag and take a shower, cleaning off all the dried blood, dirt, and perspiration from the ventures of today. I put on my civvies and wind my hair up into a tight bun as I move back over to the lab in order to check the results of the analysation.

"Well that's just dandy." I find the reason why the vines we so difficult to fight. The creators somehow managed to genetically engineer a plant with my blood in the makeup, Blockbuster Venom, Starro Tech, and something that I can't necessarily name but the atomic makeup of it matches closely to the samples I've studied from organisms from Apokolips. I keep working, squeezing out as much information as I possibly can. After a few hours, I hear the computer interface announce the arrivals of the team and a few Leaguers. Batman and Green Lantern find me in the Lab.

"The rest of the team is hitting the showers, what have you found?" Batman asks, looking right at the plant.

"Remember when I was kidnapped?" I look at him, he nods. "They drew a _lot_ of blood. These plants were engineered to contain my blood, Blockbuster Venom, Starro-Tech, and something I'm classifying as Apokoliptian. But as tested and proven in the field, very susceptible to heat and electricity, and the central plant is not immune to my technopathic abilities." I inform him. He packs up the samples. "What are you doing?"

"The samples will be given to the Flash so his friends at S.T.A.R. Labs can study it with their equipment. They are extremely experienced with Apokoliptian biology and the plants from the last attack from the Injustice League." He informs me as he hands the packaged plants to Green Lantern. He flies off. My adrenaline finally begins to fade and I stumble.

"You should go home, you used a lot of energy today." Batman says once we are alone.

"I'm fine, I can keep working. I could escort the Injustice League to Belle Reve." I offer but he puts his hands on my shoulders.

"Go home, Tesla. You need rest." He orders.

"Fine, I'm going home." I tell him before walking to the nearest zeta tube. When I appear in the Batcave, I take the elevator to the study, walk up to my room, and crash in my bed.


	25. Chapter 25

**Veronica Grey's Pov**

**Mt. Justice**

**Sunday, May 29th, 2011**

"You are so going down!" Artemis yells from Wally's shoulders. Roy moves forward with me on his shoulders and I shove Artemis the best I can. My feet are just barely grazing the surface of the water as Artemis and I lock up with hands on each other's shoulders.

"I don't think so, Arty. But I'd like to see you try!" I taunt as we push each other around in our game of chicken at the beach just outside the cave. The game has become a complete play of strength as of this moment, but neither of us are at our best seeming as we are laughing. But, I'm not going to win. Artemis is known for cheating. She perches on Wally's shoulders, making the complete kamikaze move to tackle me into the water. I can't help but laugh the whole time as I return to the surface.

"I told you I'd take you down." She laughs as I push my sopping wet hair back from my face.

"I didn't think you meant literally." I remark with a smirk as I splash her with enough water to put out a small house fire. I swim back over to Roy and we get out of the water. The two of us walk around, splashing around in the serf. Out of nowhere, Roy pokes my sides and I jump away from him. At first, he's nervous that he made the wrong move, but I burst out laughing. He walks right up to me and swings me around. When my feet return to the ground, he's behind me with his arms wrapped tightly.

"I love you." He whispers in my ear as I laugh from his touch on my sides.

"I love you too." I say in the midst of my laughter. A smells crosses my nose, making my mouth water.

"Barbeque is ready!" M'gann calls from the grill. Roy and I walk hand in hand to get out food. The two of us sit with everyone else, eating out burgers. Wally inhaled his, but it gave Artemis the opportunity to wipe a bit of mustard from his chin.

"You gotta slow down, Baywatch." She makes everyone laugh as she leans against Wally.

"Hey, at least we wont have any leftovers to carry inside." Robin makes Zatanna laugh. It's cute, they're so young and inexperienced. Here they are, becoming oblivious to the world so they can just experience each other.

"We should do this more often now that it's getting warmer." Rocket says before taking another bite of her burger. A few smiles appear among the group.

"We've got a whole summer to do this. I'm definitely in." Zatanna grins. She has this all day everyday, living at the cave and all.

"I'm in. This is awesome." I say before finishing my burger. Wally leans forward.

"What about you, Roy?" He asks. "You going to stop hanging out with us now that you're running with the big dogs?" Roy just laughs.

"I'll be around, just because I'm in the League doesn't mean I don't have time for you guys." Roy assures Wally as he links my hand in his. Conversation ensues, but I zone out. Honestly, it's entertaining to observe the behaviors of my teammates. Rocket is full of sass, always making herself look like a queen, but it dulls down when she is around Kaldur. Like she's trying to play herself down, being respectful and paying close attention to little details.

Zatanna, she carries herself like she doesn't have a care in the world, completely nonchalant. but there are little tells to her inner high strung self. When things get stressful or she is reminded of her father, she slips and she starts to care more. Dick is the opposite. He is serious, through and through. He knows all, sees all, and tells jokes to keep things light for everyone else. No unnecessary risks.

Kaldur is always cool and calm, completely respectful of everyone. He is extremely articulate and holds back his inner teenager. He remains collected while the rest of us are losing our minds over normal teenager things. He tries to be the adult in every situation, and he succeeds, until there is no sign of an imminent threat or oncoming mission. He let's things slip, like sarcasm and quiet quips. He's interesting the way he carries himself in that manner.

Wally is absent minded until Artemis walks into the room or a scientific opportunity presents itself. He seems to maintain perfect straight C's in every class aside from the exception of science, where he has yet to get below a ninety eight. Wally makes jokes that half the time, I don't even understand, but when I do, they are extremely immature and or inappropriate. Artemis keeps him in line with her serious persona with an underlying rebellious teenager that itches to come out and have the time of her life. She is like the perfect anecdote of Wally with jokes. The best part about Artemis and Wally, she never lets him get away with anything.

Connor rarely smiles, keeping his face blank and emotionless. Unless M'gann is at his side, he is like a cold robot. He's slowly becoming more and more friendly but for now, he is completely serious. His sarcasm never ceases to entertain everyone in the room, and his threats make everyone in the room feel like they are at the other end of his fist. It's like he's trying to prove himself. But one on one, or even in trios, he relaxes and manages to experience life like a normal teenage, not one that was literally born a seventeen year old.

M'gann is the preppy high school girl that cares about everyone. She will go out of her way to make sure you got a cookie from her best batch. She has her fair share of secrets but those necessary were exposed long ago. M'gann has the most open mind of all of us, being at the other end of racial profiling on Mars, she goes out of her way to make everyone comfortable in every situation. She even has that infectious laugh than can elevate the mood of a room in a matter of second.

Some people go back into the water, but I'm starting to get worn out. I go to my towel and just lay out on my stomach. Roy comes over and sits next to me, pulling out a book from his bag. Out of the corner of my eye, I just get a good look at him. His auburn hair shining like polished copper in the sunshine. His icy blue eyes hidden behind his raybans. As fair skinned as he usually is, he's actually starting to get some sun, gaining an olive tone. I look away before he notices and I just look out to the water.

The sound of the waves crashing on the beach are relaxing as I lay on my towel on the beach just outside the cave. I can hear the laughter of M'gann and Connor in the water and smell the barbecue Wally is making while he goes to great lengths to make Artemis laugh. Robin, Zatanna, Rocket, and Kaldur are just hanging around in the water, having a splash war of the sexes. Out of no where, Garfield finally emerges from the cave, runs up to the water, and cannon balls in. Joining the water fight.

I look over and watch my psuedo little brother splash his girlfriend without mercy. I brings a smile to my face when Zatanna swims under, jumps up and tackles him, pushing his head under playfully. He's really been hitting his growth spurt. Alfred swears that if you watch closely, you can see him growing. So far, he's finally taller than me and getting slightly taller than Wally, but that may not last long because Wally is starting to be taller that Artemis. As they all swim and joke around, I see something dark in the water. I scramble up from my towel and run to the water, Roy trailing at my heels. But this is a false alarm when I see who it is.

"Garth! What are you doing on the surface?" Kaldur greets his friend. Another breaks the surface of the water.

"Tula and I have something to tell you all." Garth says. I've never seen an Atlantean besides Aquaman and Kaldur, and these two are interesting. Garth looks like your average caucasian male, but his eyes are something just so out of place that the science part of my brain is screaming. His vibrant, purple eyes are piercing and cold. But, Tula, she's a whole different story. She looks as warm and open as can be. She's even more biologically intriguing than Garth. She reminds me of an island girl but her hair is copper and her eyes are this vibrant aquamarine eyes. They interest me just as much as Kaldur did when I first met him. Now that I've seen him with them, I really see the extreme variety that Atlanteans can be compared to humans. I've been told by Kaldur that some of his people even have animalistic traits. A girl with a tail like a mermaid, a Boy that resembles a shark more than human, things like that.

"What is it?" Kaldur seems nervous, his eyes not leaving Tula.

"We were summoned by Queen Mera. King Orin gave us the opportunity to use our sorcery to be heroes on the surface, like you and your friends. We will be joining your team soon." Tula says with the biggest smile. I think Kaldur's smile is even bigger.

"In that case, I'm Rocket." Raquel swims goes right up to Tula, putting her hand out. The atlantean girl shakes it. They all come out of the water. Everyone introduces themselves and we all sit in the surf, talking and getting to know our new teammates. I hear my phone buzz. I ignore it but it keeps going. I leave Roy and answer my phone.

"Hello?" I answer.

"Miss Veronica, Master Bruce has requested you return home, he requires your help with preparing something." I hear him say, but it takes a minute to register, I haven't exactly been focused today.

"Tell him I'll be there soon, see ya later, Alfred." I say before hanging up the phone. I walk over to my stuff and pack it up, pulling my sundress over my head to cover up before heading home. Roy comes up behind me and puts a hand on my shoulder.

"Where are you going?" He mumbles in my ear, one hand on my waist. I turn to face him.

"I have work to do. I'll call you later, okay?" I give him a peck on the cheek before walking back to the cave.

"Then I'll see you later." He calls after me. I look back at him and give him a little smirk before going back into the cave. I walk to the zeta tube and teleport right to the Batcave. I see Bruce in his Batman costume and his cowl pulled down.

"Go change first, this is gonna be a while." He says as he does something on the holo computer. I just go straight to the elevator and go up to my room. I pull out an outfit before getting in the shower to rinse off and make sure there's no sand anywhere. When I get out, I leave my wet hair down as I put on a sports bra, muscle shirt and shorts. I go straight back down to the Batcave and find Bruce still in his Batsuit with his cowl pulled down.

"So, what are we doing?" I ask as I sit on the arm of his chair as he types. I look at his face out of the corner of my eye and his eyes are dull. They are usually sharp and intimidating, but his exhaustion has worn them down.

"Project Beast, I found the hard copied files at LexCorp. They have all been scanned and uploaded to our systems. I want you to read the main file before all of the files on the testing." He presses a button and the file is projected, blown up to make it easy to read. I go through it at least four times with eyes wide. I go through the tests and it's unnerving what they have been doing.

"Oh my god." I walk away from the holo computer, but I freeze. "Now that I know exactly what I'm looking for, I can find other documentation anywhere." I whip around and stare right at the holo computer. Files appear rapidly, some are vaguely similar until I find photographic and video documentation. I look straight at Cadmus and something comes up.

"Is that…?" Bruce looks shocked for once.

"Live security footage at Cadmus. This facility is branched off from sublevel forty three. The code for this branch is that no genomorph is allowed past the first security entrance. Only Scientists and Lab Hands with designated clearance are allowed in. First door is a ten digit passkey of 4815162342, second door is an I.D. badge scanner. The third door, it's a simultaneous eye and fingerprint scan. After you get past the third door, there are observation windows to two rooms: the containment and the testing facility. Those two rooms have a remote operated door between them to allow the project passage to it's testing. Across from the observation windows are a stare well for scientists to enter the testing room, a security booth, and a lab that has far more advanced and specialized equipment than the labs above sublevel forty thre-" Bruce grabs my shoulders and snaps me out of my information spill.

"You need to slow down. I appreciate the work, but you need to slow down." He says with tight hands on my shoulders. I just look at him blankly for a moment before I involuntarily twitch and shake out of his hands.

"I'm fine. This happens sometimes. I'm okay." I shake it all out and continue getting all the angles of the security footage in the branch of Project Beast. The question hits me and I look to Batman. "What do you want me to do with all of this information?"

"A small group of the team is going to be deployed on a mission to retrieve Project Beast. You will be leading the mission seeming as you are the expert on the specimen and the only one that can get people down there without being detected. So, we will begin devising a plan." Bruce instructs.

"Oh, not yet, Master Bruce. I've brought dinner for the two of you." Alfred interrupts as he sets down two treys of dinner.


	26. Chapter 26

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Cadmus**

**Monday, May 30th, 2011**

The plan was made and set in motion. As the bioship approaches Cadmus, Zatanna, Rocket, Kid Flash and I mentally prepare for the mission. Batman allowed me to choose who would go on the mission, the first mission where I would be Team Leader. I chose each based on how useful they would be on the recovery mission of Project Beast. Zatanna's magic will be useful if we happen to run into the Genomorphs as well as getting the Project subdued if it is hostile. Rocket is our best defense since her force fields are strengthened by the kinetic energy used against them. I chose Kid Flash because of his previous experience with Cadmus as well as his speed for recon and scouting ahead. I was careful not to choose couples just in case things got a little hairy and people would put their other half before the mission. We need to be as tactile as we can be for this mission to be successful. I stop the camouflaged Bioship right above the faux front Cadmus and open a hatch in the bottom for us all to drop.

"I made sure the ship was low enough that we didn't need drop cables." I look around at everyone. "Here we go." I say before being the first to drop. I don't even make a sound. The training I've been having with batman included a month of straight stealth. It was intense but it paid off. As soon as I hit the roof, the cameras and security cameras are overridden so they only pick up the current scientists inside. As soon as any of my team move into space, the camera goes on a loop. Zatanna and I head straight for the air duct, and what I see, I don't like.

"Guess they're trying to keep you from breaking in." Wally laughs in a whisper as we look at the reinforced plastic air vent, painted to _almost_ look metal.

"Well, they didn't account for me." Zatanna grins. She presses her hands to the vent cover. "Tnev revoc ot ekoms!" She whispers, the vent cover dissolving away in a swirl of smoke. Rocket gives her a fist bump as I climb in first, taking the lead. I silently maneuver the correct route as one by one the other three follow suit. It's late at night, but only a few scientists are left. I focus and access the security cameras. There are two scientists in the express elevator. I wait until they get off to force it to the second floor. I scoot to the side of the vent.

"Zatanna, I need you to take care of the scientists on this floor." I whisper. She nods and moves past me. She pulls up the vent cover and pops her head down.

"Lla og ot eht moorhtab!" She tries to hold back a giggle as she speaks the incantation. The all get up and leave the area. Zatanna drops and we all follow her. I will the express elevator open and I make sure everyone gets in without being seen before I get in myself. The elevator doors close just before the scientists wander back. The elevator drops down at a speeds slightly more unnerving than the elevator in the Batcave. When it stops, I don't allow the doors to open just yet.

"Alright, Kid and Rocket, you're up. There are six Genomorphs on the other side of the door. Subdue them as quickly as possible, go for the G-Genomes first. There telepathy can expose us but if you blindside them, we still have a chance." I look at the two of them.

"We got this." KF grins like he's got the world at his fingertips.

"Besides, if he screws up, Artemis will probably kick his ass." Rocket jokes, causing Kid to groan.

"On three." I look at the two, then concentrate on the doors. "One…" the security cameras pick up the genomorphs closing in on the corner. "Two" They round the corner and enter our hallway. "Three!" The doors zip open and Kid Flash runs out first while Rocket flies out, trapping three of the G-Gnomes in fields throwing them against the wall to knock them out. KF just zips to the other three, knocking them all out with a single swipe at each. He and Rocket take out the G-Elves, moving in ways to get the G-elves to take each other out, and that's the last of it.

"Mission accomplished." KF puts his hands on his hips, mimicking the standard Superman stance. I swat him as I walk past.

"Not yet, follow me." I tell him and the rest follow suit. I find the first door to accessing the secluded branch of Project Beast. With just a thought, I open the door and we all step inside before I will it to shut again.

"What do you think we're going to find?" I hear Rocket whisper to Zatanna as I override the second door to open for us. We all go past to the next security chamber.

"From the name and based on what you found last time," Zatanna starts, looking at Kid, "Either and animal like person, or something extremely enhanced like Wolf." She infers. I smirk as I will the last door to open. No one is back here, so we all move freely. The lights are off in the containment room, so the Project isn't visible from the shadows engulfing the room.

"Ready to find out?" I look the the rest of the group before pressing the lights button on the control panel, mentally restricting the system from reporting any changes in the Project's facility.

"Is that…?" Rocket goes right up to the glass, amazed at what she's seeing. Zatanna and Kid are silent, following Rocket to the glass.

"In simpler terms, Genetically modified and enhanced Feline. They took a lion embryo, and grafted the genes they were able to identify from Superman, Black Canary, and Batman. The literally, increased capability of muscle mass, heightened all of it's senses with Superman's dna. They altered his roar to be as powerful as Black Canary's cry. His brain capacity and level of intelligence came from Batman. Cadmus created the perfect hunter. If only it obeyed orders." I open a door and head down to the Project.

"Wait! What are you doing!" Kid nearly screams, but I go anyway. It's not like this thing can do any real damage to me. I walk right up to the snowy white, massive lion. He opens his unnerving violet eyes and looks right at me. He lurches forward and growls at me, completely coiled and ready to pounce. I keep myself completely calm.

"I'm sure you understand me because of what they've done, so I want you to know that I'm not here to hurt you." I put a hand out, palm facing him as I slowly step forward. "I'm going to set you free, but in order to do that, I need you to not leave my side, alright?" I feel sort of absurd talking to a lion, but the creature calms down and it's pupils go from agitated slits to wide, engulfing pupils. He steps forward and pressed his head into my palm. I scratch the side of his face and he looks at me expectantly. I smile at the Big cat and lead him up to the others.

"A lot scarier in person." KF comments with his eyes wide. The lion snarls at Wally, but I run my fingers through his mane.

"Let's go. I open door after door as we run with Project Beast trailing behind. "Kid, scout ahead, security cameras are picking up movement." I order him, and he runs ahead of us. When he comes back, he's freaking out a little more than earlier.

"They know we're here." Is all he says before I see none other than Lex Luthor himself with his arsenal of scientists and Genomorphs standing between us and the express elevator.

"No where to run." Lex smiles, not looking at anyone else but me. As unnerved as I am, I just grab gas bombs out of my utility belt and chuck them all. Some genomorphs go down, but others are swift to get out of the fog of gas. Kid and Rocket go ahead and take them out, but the gas creeps closer. Rocket runs back, ready to put a field around us, but something happens that none of us were expecting. The Project runs ahead of us and roars, holding back slightly so he doesn't collapse the hallway on us. The gas clears and the genomorphs are on the ground, either covering their ears or passed out.

"Run!" I yell and we all bolt. I stare down Luthor as we run past. He smirks at me and I begin to feel like my insides are screaming, that need for revenge. But I just look away and keep running. We get into the elevator and I force the doors closed. I override all security measures and force the elevator up. I command the Bioship to fly over to the street. We get out at ground floor, board the ship, and get the hell out of D.C.

* * *

**Batcave**

"I could have done better." I tell Batman as the two of us enter our respective changing areas, divided by a curtain.

"You reached the objective, Project Beast is secure in the Watchtower garden." He tries to sway my opinion. But I just let out a sigh.

"I'm thinking of naming him Steve." I joke, making a face.. He gives me a look.

"You are _not_ naming a genetically modified lion _Steve_." He is completely silent but I know the look that is on his face right now on the other side of the curtain. I can't help but laugh at him.

"So serious, but I am naming him. I rescued him." I defend myself.

"Fine." He is quiet. I hear the water dripping in the cave. I keep reminding myself that I need to explore this place. I start thinking about the mission again.

"But they knew we were there. I must have slipped up in my security override along the way." I admit as I step out of my changing area in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. I go straight to the Batcomputer and pull up the reports from the mission.

"But you adapted to the situation, succeeded in completing the mission. No one is perfect." He assures me, his hand rests on my shoulder. "Let's go upstairs, get something to eat." I look up at him and let out one last sight as I stand up from his chair and the two of us get to the express elevator and go up. When we enter the kitchen, Dick is looking in the fridge for something to eat. I go straight for the pre-made waffle mix.

"You want some?" I look to Dick and he smiles.

"Yeah I want some, I'll get the syrup and chocolate sauce." He says as I pour the first bit of batter into the waffle iron.

"Don't forget the whipped cream." I laugh, pulling the top down on the waffle iron. I start thinking about music and all of the sudden, my playlist begins to play over the PA system of the house. Dick immediately pauses and looks at me.

"Soul Sister by Train? Really?" He grins like an idiot at me. I put my hands up/

"What, it's not like I listen to Avatar all the time." I say in my defense. Bruce chuckles to himself from the table as he eats a sandwich. I see Alfred come in and he pulls some things out of the fridge.

"At least allow me to make something healthy to go on the side of your inevitable sugar binge." He says as he starts preparing eggs and dicing up fruit. Dick starts singing along to the music and dancing around the kitchen.


	27. Chapter 27

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Watchtower**

**Wednesday, June 1st, 2011**

"Who's a good kittie?" I say to the unnamed Lion as I scratch his stomach of fluffy white fur. His violet eyes are closed and with every exhale he lets out a slight grumble, like a purr but that's not technically correct since the family of Panthera can't purr. His snow white fur is soft and fine beneath my fingertips. It's insane how happy and fluffy this lion is considering he was bred to be a hunter, a killer. Suddenly, the grumbling stops and his heads whips up in the direction of company.

"How did you get up here?" Batman finds me in the garden, with the Lion. I guess he's not going to be too happy about the security breach. Especially one that doesn't trigger an alarm.

"I technically don't need a proper designation to come up here, and you can't keep me from Steve." I say jokingly as I run my hands through the long white mane. Batman pinches his nose in annoyance.

"You can't name him Steve." He glares at me, well, I think he's glaring. You can never really tell with the blank eyes created by his cowl.

"Fine." I think about it for a minute or two. "How about Kahn?" I look at the Lion. He lays his head back down, reverting back to his mock purring. "Kahn it is." I rub his belly furiously as he puts his massive paw on my bicep like he's asking for more belly rubs.

"You really shouldn't be up here. The team isn't allowed, and you are a member of the Team." Batman tells me. I can tell he's on the verge of ordering me to leave, so I don't really want to push him. As much as he is my legal guardian, he's also the oh-so-scary dark knight.

"Fine, I'll stop coming up here after today. But that means I'm taking Kahn to the Cave when I leave." I promise him, he just walks away. I continue to just lay there with Kahn while staring out the big window not twenty feet away. The earth seems so simplistic from here. To bad it's so messed up that it required people like Batman and I to protect the innocent. But the job is fun, so that and helping people are pretty great perks. While pondering this with Kahn snoring behind me, Roy finds his way to us, sitting down next to me.

"Hello Harper." I smile as I lean back on Kahn. The big fuzzball is falling asleep and it's adorable.

"Hello Grey." Roy reaches over and takes my hand into his, his thumb rubbing on the back of my hand.

"I have to take Kahn to the cave, but we can go do something after?" I look over at Roy, hoping he's not busy with League stuff.

"Well, I did just finish my monitor shift up here." He grins. The two of us stand up and I wake up Kahn. We all get up and start walking to the zeta tubes. When we get there, Kahn almost immediately catches a suddenly new scent. He barrels down the hallway as Roy and I chase after him. We find him sniffing rears with Wolf in the Hangar by the water. Connor looks confused.

"Is this…?" Connor asks as he watches the massive white lion greets Wolf. For once, Wolf looks small. Kahn dwarfs him quite easily.

"I've named him Kahn. I thought he would do better living with another animal that can keep up with him than alone in Watchtower." I tell Connor, he gets this look on his face. "Don't worry, I'll come by every day to take care of him and stuff, he just needs a friend." I promise him. I don't want Kahn to impose on anyone, I just don't want him in Watchtower.

"Fine with me. Wolf will like having him around." The side of his mouth curls slightly into an almost smile. You usually don't see that happen unless he's with M'gann.

"Okay, well I'll let him out to go hunting in the woods. He's definitely capable of taking care of himself out there." I tell Connor before walking to the main outdoor exit of the cave. I grab Kahn's head and hold it in my hands, making sure he's looking me in the eye. "I know you can hunt, they took you out to the Masai Mara in Africa to test your abilities. Just be a good boy and avoid humans. When you're done, come back to this entrance of the cave. The computer will recognize you and you'll be able to get back in. I have to go, so be a good boy until I come back to see you, okay?" I look straight into his eyes. He nods his head and goes off on his own. I walk back into the cave and find Roy at the zeta-tube.

"Off we go then." He smiles, linking his arm into mine. We appear in Star City. Lucky for me, I'm already in civvies, I just have to wait for Roy to change. He pulls on some normal civvies in the Arrow Cache and we head out. He grabs my hand and twirls me around as we hit the street.

"What? Are we going dancing again?" I laugh and he brings me back into him, continuing to walk with his arm tightly wound around my waist. He shakes his head with a big smile.

"No, we are going to this little diner I thought you would like." He says just before kissing my temple. I just stay quiet and play follow the leader until we make it to the diner he seems excited about. When I see it, the entire place is retro. Sparkling red counter tops, pristine white tables, red and blue booths, even the music is classic, emanating from the jukebox on the far wall. The song is one of my mother's favorites, _Hooked on a Feeling_ by Blue Swede.

"Roy Harper, this place is amazing." I kiss him on the cheek as we grab a booth nearest the jukebox. He slides into the booth right next to me and The waitress finds us immediately. She's one of those types with the damaged and bleached blond hair, smoothed back into a tight ponytail, curled into near perfect spirals that are fraying at their ends. Her face made up like a doll, pink lips and barbie doll eyelashes and mascara. Her uniform matches the decor of the diner, red and blue. Roy orders for us, knowing just what to get me. A grilled cheese with truffle fries and a strawberry shake. As we wait, he leans back and puts his arm around me.

"So…?" He looks down at me, his red hair glinting in the neon lights of the window.

"What?" My eyebrow raises. His face suggests that he is slipping into serious mode. It's never a good thing when he does that while we're out on a date. I just recompose myself to match him, then proceed to prepare for whatever he might say, but I think I know what he is going to say.

"It's been a few months since your parents and a few since the miscarriage. I was just wondering how you've been when I'm not around." He puts it right out there. His eyes suggesting that he's worried about my reaction to his statements.

"My parents, I can think about them without triggering any depression or anything and same for the other thing. I guess it's still sort of a touchy subject, but I'm okay, really." I tell the truth, my smile faded. He had to address it at some point, I'm just glad I can answer the question without everything flooding back like it used to.

"Thats good." He says, kissing my forehead as I spot the waitress walking over with our food. She sets it down and we slowly return to our blissful mood from before, laughing and joking around.

"This is even better than Bibbo's." I gawk as I dip on of my truffle fries in his chocolate shake. He snags the cherry of the whipped cream of my strawberry shake. The diner in Metropolis is amazing but this place definitely tops Bibbo's, pie and all.

"Now we have a go to diner in Star City. All we have to do is find somewhere in Gotham and we're set." He smiles before stealing a few of my fries. I lean forward, beginning to eat some of my grilled cheese. After a few minutes, a particular song comes on and Roy slides out of the booth, dragging me with him. The two of us are standing in the middle of the diner and I'm just about as red as the counter tops. Roy starts dancing, but I'm wary of the people around us, but both he and the song pull me into a state of ease, twirling and stepping with Roy to the Dexy's Midnight Runners version of _Come on Eileen. _It doesn't necessarily fit the theme of the diner but it's a great song no matter where you are. Roy swings me around as the song slows down but we speed up with the beat until it goes back to normal. As it fades out, he dips me back and swings me back up. It doesn't seem that many were paying attention, but I get entertained looks from our waitress and the cook standing next to her. It was just that one dance before we sit back down, finishing out food. I continue to eat as he finished, encircling his arms around my waist, his head on my shoulder. His hand falls to my leg, tracing little circles on my outer thigh. The minute I finish my food and milkshake, I feel something warm in the pit of my stomach for the first time in a long time.

"Would you like your check?" The waitress appears, holding out bill in hand. Roy pulls out cash and hands it to her.

"Keep the change." I tell her as I immediately grab Roy's arm and pull him out of the booth and out of the diner without another word to the waitress.

"Where are we going?" He asks me as I pull him down the street the best I can, forcing him into a speed walk.

"Back to your apartment." I say forcefully as we round the corner to his street. I look back briefly and he seems confused. We approach his building and I move faster. As soon as we get up to his floor, I can't help but push him into the wall and kiss him. The passion finally reaches him and he picks me up, my legs wrapping around his waist. With a mindless flick of my wrist, I unlock the door and we go inside. He carries me to his room as my hands run through his hair. The warm touch of his hands on my thighs dissipates as he lays me down on the bed.

"Wait," he stops, "are you sure you want to do this? We haven't since before…" He reminds me but I cut him off, pulling him onto the bed with me.

"I'm sure. Four months is enough." I assure him as he pulls of his t-shirt. My hands run over his abs as he kissed my neck. I pull off my tank top just before he meets my lips once more. I slide his pants off, leaving him in his boxers. Shivers run through my body and his hands drag down my stomach to my jean shorts. They slide off with ease as the two of us continue in something we haven't done in a long time. There is a few seconds where everything around me seems to slow down. The golden sun light seeping through the curtains of his window, hitting him in just the right way to illuminate his copper hair. His bright blue eyes meet mine and everything speeds back up, almost blurring together. His body on mine, in this state of being, is something I haven't felt in a while and I didn't realize how much I've longed for this until now.

* * *

The two of us lay there on his bed, my head resting on his chest, his arms wrapped around me. There isn't a single layer of fabric between us. One of his hands moves to my head and he strokes my hair. I look up to him and he meets my gaze, a smile crossing his face. I pull myself up so we are face to face on the pillows.

"Roy William Harper, I love you." I breathe, exhaustion falling over me as we lay there.

"I love you too." He brushes a curl of blonde hair from my face, tucking it behind my ear.


	28. Chapter 28

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Wayne Tech**

**Wednesday, August 17th, 2011**

The sun sets as soon as I finish reviewing the paperwork that I have to fill out to legitimize my cancer curing nanotech as an FDA approved treatment for cancer, I submit the paperwork before packing up my stuff. My human trials ended weeks ago, but the process to legitimize my treatment is lengthy. I'm excited that I'll be able to help people around the world though as soon as everything is finalized. I grab my bag and hang up my lab coat before exiting the room and heading outside to the parking lot. I grab my car and drive home slightly over the speed limit, cheating a bit with the stop lights. I pull into the garage of the manor and head straight downstairs to the Batcave. I go straight for my Tesla costume. As soon as I get dressed and my hair is pulled back into a ponytail, I sit down at the Batcomputer, ready to go looking for trouble since it's my night on patrol. The first alert I get is of something dragging people into the sewers and tossing the body parts outside manholes around the city. This isn't really something I'm allowed to do by myself while on patrol.

"Well, are you going to stop what ever it s or what?" Alfred says as he walks up behind me.

"I'm not supposed to, I'd be breaking one of Batman's rules." I lean back in the chair, sighing as another report comes into the system.

"Even he breaks the rules at times. If he didn't, he would never be where he is today." Alfred rationalizes with me, knowing that if I don't get out there, more people are going to die. Robin is on a mission with Aqualad and M'gann, and Batman is on Watchtower duty. It all comes down to me.

"I'm going." I put on my domino mask and hop on the Batcycle. I'm sure he won't mind of it's my mode of transportation. I rev the engine and ride out of the cave, racing towards the city, tracking the latest report. I make it to the heart of down down before stashing the bike and slipping below through a manhole into the sewers. Oddly enough, there is a trail of a struggle of the latest victim. I run in silence, tracking the fresh trail. I begin to hear thrashing and splashing down the passageway. I peek around the corner and find something massive, ripping apart some helpless, lifeless man. I get a better look and the thing that's been killing people left and right tonight, is a shark humanoid. He's way above average in height and muscle mass. His teeth are sharp and daunting in their rows and his hands have massive claws just as sharp and white as his teeth. The dorsal fin on his back lines what is probable the most sensitive spot that I can attack to subdue him. But I realize that I'm getting ahead of myself when the shark looking man looks right at me, smiling.

"Did dessert find it's way to me this time?" He asks as he ditches the corpse and approaches me this time. I allow a charge to visible run across my body.

"How about you tell me your name and I won't fry you." I threaten. I need more information on him. I'm not getting much as I reach out for any files on him. There aren't much, just legends and stories. There has to be an official one somewhere.

"You don't know me, Dessert? I am Nanaue, King Shark." He introduces as he approaches me. His heavy mouth breathing is almost unnerving.

"I'm not your dessert, King Shark." I tell him as I leap up and slam my feet into his chest, sending out all the electricity out of my feet to his chest. The tattered shirt he's wearing begins to smoke, but he just stands right up.

"I've eaten eels worse than you, meat." He snarls as he charges me. I slide under him between his legs and jump onto his back, getting my hands on his head. Before I can knock him out via frying his brain, he whips his head around and manages to get my hand in his mouth. The pain is excruciating when he bites it off, holo computer cuff and all.

"What the hell, Sharkboy! Completely unnecessary!" I scream at him as he throws me from his back, forcing me into splashdown in the sewer water. Normally, I would be disgusted, but I have bigger problems now. Nanaue's eyes grow wide as my hand begins to grow back. He's realizing that I could literally be his unlimited buffet. He charges me once again with the new crazed look in his eyes. I let him come and as soon as he gets close enough, I explode with energy, knocking him back.

"Stop fighting! Stupid meat!" He screams at me. I run down the sewer line and try to lose him so I can re-establish a plan of attack.

"There is no way I'm becoming your _buffet_!" I shout at him as I round the corner. I've almost lost him but he bounds up to me and gets his meaty hands on my arms, sinking his teeth into my shoulder. Anger surges through me. I release another surge of energy before sticking my hand out and attracting a metal rod from the pipes lining the walls. I begin to bash Nanaue's head with it, using every ounce of strength I have.

"I'm going to rip you apart!" He screeches just before I manage to hit him so hard, some of his teeth fall out at the exact moment the radius and ulna bones in my forearm snap. Leap at him and put my hands on his temples, shoving my thumbs on his eyes, just enough to cause pain. I release enough energy to successfully stun him, forcing him to crumble to the ground.

"Today just isn't your day." I smile as I reach into my tool belt and grab multiple disks. They all link together and reconstruct into an inhibitor collar. I grab a few more disk and program them to come together and create a muzzle. I stick on the collar and turn it on, making him weaker. I push the muzzle to his face and it activates, ejecting needles so it fuzes with his tissue, making for a painful removal if not deactivated by the designated personnel. I grab one of the remaining disks and repurpose it to become a miniaturized saw. I cut all of Nanaue's claws and use the rest of the disks to create industrial strength handcuffs. I will them to drag him above ground as he begins to awaken. As we move, I contact Gotham P.D.

"Police Commissioner James Gordon." He answers, I can hear other phones ringing in the background.

"It's Tesla, I got the thing that's been leaving body parts all over the city." I say as I look around at the street corners. "I'm at the intersection of Main and Sixth. I don't think he'll get out of his restraints but I'd bring S.W.A.T. just in case." I tell him. There is a short bit of silence on the other end of the line.

"My men and I are on our way." He hangs up. After about ten minutes, three cop cars and a S.W.A.T. truck speed up to our location and surround us.

"He puts up quite the fight and I'm pretty sure he's waking up." I tell them as they approach us.

"What is he?" Gordon asks, bending down to get a better look at the mutant.

"Humanoid Shark. Calls himself Nanaue, King Shark." I tell him as I snap in front of Nanaue's face to make sure he's conscious. I hear a low rumble come from him.

"How did you catch him by yourself?" Gordon looks me up and down, probably noticing my state of a bloody mess.

"I fried his brain, so he should be pretty disoriented. Probably enough to move him to Belle Reve before he starts fighting back. I'm sending you the deactivation code for the muzzle. You can give it to the Warden or to the supervisor of wherever he is incarcerated. Try to keep him sedated for transport, he doesn't rip people apart, he eats them." I inform Gordon. He stands up and puts his hand out for me to shake. But I don't take it.

"Thanks for catching him. We'll take it from here." He gestures for his men to move in and prepare transport. "Tell Batman I have a case I need him to take a look at." Gordon calls after me as I slip away from the scene. The night sky looms above me as I run through alleyways and climbing to roof tops to make it to the Batmobile as discreetly as possible. For once, I can actually see a few stars by the moon. Usually, the light pollution and smog are so bad that even the moon is blurred a bit. As I maneuver the city of Gotham, something feels off. I can't quite put my finger on it, and it's definitely not the fact that there is a giant gaping hole in the shoulder on my shirt from the fight with Nanaue. Just as I drop from the roof the Batcycle, something disappears from the alleyway. I take that as a sign to get out as quickly as possible. I rev the engine and speed off away from the city, racing down the streets until I make it to the edge of town where I pull into the entrance to the Batcave. I hurry up and change into some sweats before going upstairs after leaving a note on the Batcomputer for Bruce to go check with Commissioner Gordon about that case. As soon as I exit into the study, my phone rings.

"Hello?" I answer, curious as to why all the lights are off in the manor. I begin walking to my room. I reach for a light switch but it doesn't work. I pull and find that the breakers in the basement are switched off. Before I can will it to switch back on, I hear a noise upstairs.

"It's Dick, I'm out with Barbara and some other school friends. Can you cover with me if Bruce gets home before I do?" He ask. I hold back a laugh as I go up the stairs.

"Sure, but you owe me. Where are you anyway?" I ask, but there is a shadow moving along the wall ahead of me, moving towards my room. I write it off as my eyes playing tricks on me as I turn down the corridor.

"Just out, I'll tell you when I get back. Okay?" He asks but when I get into my bedroom, the shadow is there, standing right in the center of the room. "Ronnie?" Dick tries to get my attention, but I'm completely distracted. I head a sort of humming coming from what I think is a man. It's much taller than I am and it can't be Roy. He tries to not come around the house when Bruce isn't here. He feels awkward coming into the billionaire's home. I approach the shadow slowly, it doesn't even falter at my curiosity. The humming seems to be a sort of growling that you don't normally hear, not from man nor humanoid. "Ronnie, are you there?" Dick ask, growing more worried. My grip on my phone tightens as the Shadow begins to move. In an odd sensation of fear, I creep back, slowly towards the main light switch of the room. The windows open with the creek of an old house, but they never make that sound when I've opened them in the past. I reach out and force the breakers back on as I reach for the lightswitch, the shadow closing the gap between the two of us. "Ronnie, answer the phone!" Dick calls but it sounds so distant. I switch the light on and see the face of the shadow. My phone drops to the floor as a shrill scream escapes my lips, soon being cut off as one large hand goes to my throat and the other pushes me against the wall.


	29. Chapter 29

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Gotham**

**Thursday, August 18th, 2011**

"I know... who you are. You are based... in Santa Prisca. Why here? Why me?" I manage to get out as the hand pushes against my neck. Bane smiles, his leather mask crinkles.

"My partner is paying me. Enemy of your father's, los niña. Bruce Wayne has made an enemy that he won't soon forget." He says. This doesn't specify Bruce or Batman, therefore I can't risk revealing my abilities to him. He reaches for a phone in his pocket so I act quickly, swinging my leg up, knocking his arm away from me. He swings but I duck and give him a swift kick to his manhood. Bane falls to his knees and is distracted just long enough for me to run. I disappear down the hallway, but I can't go somewhere and immediately hide, Bane is barrelling down the hall after me. I head for the stairs when suddenly, he throws a painting at me like a massive ninja star. The frame hits me in the spine, sending my right down the stairs and into the marble flooring. I hear multiple things crack and crunch, but I keep moving. As I sprint into the west wing, Bane catches up, closing the gap. He has to be on his venom, my chances are dwindling. He grabs me and throws me back down the hallway where we came from. I don't see anyway out of this except for the windows. Being on the third floor, it will hurt, but there's a chance Bane won't follow.

"We have money! You don't need to do this!" I scream as I run, trying to act like any other rich kid evading their assailant. Before I can make it to a window, Bane grabs me once again, this time slamming my back into his knee. I hear so many cracks, but it gives me an advantage. The numbing will help with my escape.

"I don't need money, this is just fun, los niña!" He grins. I get up from the ground and pounce on him, shoving my thumbs into his eyes until he cries out. He throws me off him, lucky for me, I sail right through the window, shattering the glass and falling three stories. Everything hurts and I'm fighting against my own body to move, but I do it anyway. But, before I can run, someone pushes me back down and steps on my back, forcing me to cry out in agony.

"That was no way to treat your handler." I hear a disturbingly familiar voice. I look up to see Lex Luthor himself, with his cyborg of an assistant standing by.

"I guess I could have just fried him then, huh?" I rasp as Mercy reaches down and snaps my neck. It's like a light switch, everything goes dark.

* * *

The next thing I know, things are popping back into place and I begin to regain feeling. When I finally open my eyes, my reflection is staring back at me. Everything about me looks unnerving, my matting hair and my red, sunken eyes. What makes me even more uncomfortable is the fact that I'm not longer in my sweats, but what I think are white scrubs. I think so because of the texture of the fabric and the slightly blurred details in my reflection. I try to move but I'm restrained, my wrists pinned above my head and my ankles pinned just about a foot apart. I look up to see what I'm being restrained with, seeing metal semi cuffs coming out of a metal panel that's to my back. I try to will them to release me, but nothing happens. This is the moment where I feel the inhibitor collar around my neck. So, I do the only thing I can, look into the reflection. I would say it's a mirror, but the faded colors suggest it's glass. That means this containment unit is in a dark room, and the light from inside the unit is well contained by the thickness of the glass. I guess that means that even if I get out of the cuffs, I'll have too much trouble escaping if I don't find a way to get out of the collar. A door in front of me opens, letting light bleed into the room. In walks four figures. The lights outside the unit switch on and my reflection fades even more. The four in front of me are Luthor, Vandal Savage, and two scientist from when they took me last October.

"Well, you have me completely restrained and I have no way to get out or contacting the League. So, would you be so kind as to tell me where you had to break my neck to bring me to?" I ask the Luthor, he gives me a little smile. I decide to go with it so I can get every angle. If they do testing, they have to let me out of the pod. I could run, but I need to know where I am.

"You deserve as much. We've brought you to Cadmus to continue our work from the previous year." Luthor states as a scientist steps forward and begins typing away at the control station of the room. A needle rises from the floor of my pod, reaching towards me, but it loops around my back and snakes up my shirt. The needle injects itself and extends deeply into the base of my spine. It's excruciating, but I fight the pain. I've had worse.

"Spinal fluid?" I guess. It's one of the few possible reasons that they would tap my spine.

"We never had the chance to extract it the first time you were in our possession. It could be vital to our attempts at cloning you. As would be samples from your hypothalamus and your pituitary gland." He relinquishes the information without hesitation. Not even Vandal seems keen on keeping things quiet.

"You want to dissect my brain?" I raise an eyebrow at them.

"Because of your inhibitor collar, you'll be heavily sedated." Luthor promises. Not like I actually need his word since I'm a prisoner in this situation.

"And no one realized that the first time? You had me shot on multiple occasions in order to keep me down for two weeks." I deadpan. Vandal begins to chuckle to himself.

"She is quite entertaining, isn't she?" Vandal looks to his fellow member of the Light. Luthor smiles.

"That she is, among other things." The two seem fascinated by me. It's disgusting but the more I'm on their good side, the better chance I have of escaping. I keep myself composed as the needle finally pulls out and a large, sealed test tube of clear liquid appears outside of the pod. Like water, but we all know it's not.

"Sorry to interrupt, but if I behave and do everything you say, will you give me answers about the siege?" I ask, trying to negotiate my obedience for some much needed answers for the six Leaguers. I need to make the most out of this situation.

"In time, you will be rewarded for your willingness to participate." Vandal eyes me. The ball is rolling and all I have to do now is not rebel. Maybe I'll hang around, get some answers.

"So, can we get the testing started? Because the sooner you can clone me, the sooner it's all over." I suggest nonchalantly. I'm actually hoping that they can get me out of this pod and out of restraints. But the most important thing right now is what I can gain from this.

"You're quite calm compared to the last time." Luthor comments. I look down, avoiding the gaze of the four watching me.

"I believe that was my doing during the siege." Vandal comments, gaining a more positive tone than before. The longer I'm around Vandal, the more the fear sets in from everything that these people have done to me in the past. It could be ten times worse this time. They could kill me and let my body rot till the point of no return. Ensuring that I couldn't regenerate when they remove to collar. But we all know that no matter the decomp, as soon as the collar is removed, I'll just come right back. But they could prolong my return for a lifetime, keeping me away from Roy.

"But she is right, we need to get the ball rolling on the procedures." Luthor looks to the scientist at the control panel and they hit a button, the glass door of the pod slides away, leaving no barrier between them and me.

* * *

**Dick Grayson's pov**

**Wayne Manor**

I follow Bruce as he goes over the house for the fifth time. He keeps going over what happened, trying to find a sign that Ronnie could have left about her captors or if they themselves left behind any clues. We already know one. I was still on the phone when Bane began to speak to her. I still can't get her scream or her strained voice out of my head.

"So she went up to her room, was confronted by Bane, he chased her through the house, she fought back on the third floor of the west wing, he threw her through the window and she landed in the grass of the front yard, the two people waiting got her, but there is no sign of exit." Bruce says aloud as I follow him to Ronnie's room.

"And that's all we know, right?" I look at him, he's on to something.

"Dick, you're forgetting that we have cameras all over the manor and the property. If the people that took her were in position, we can get facial recognition and track her." Bruce starts to run to the study. I follow him and the two of us descend into the Batcave.

"But what will we do once we know where she is? We need a plan and help." I remind him as he accesses the computer, pulling up footage from every camera Ronnie encountered last night. We watch everything from start to finish. When she lands in the yard, she tries to get up, but a bald man steps on her back. There are a few seconds, then the brunette following the bald man snaps her neck and throws her over her shoulder. Bane comes outside and the bald man pulls out a little box. All of the sudden, a portal opens and they disappear.

"You're right. When it comes to Lex Luthor, you need to go in smart, but you also need to go in heavy to be able to combat whatever security measures are put in place." This statement really hits me. Lex Luthor took her before, I guess this time they want to finish the job. Bruce steps aside and I get hacking, breaking through the firewall of NSA so I can use their facial recognition to find the next appearance of Bane, Luthor, Ronnie or Mercy.

"If I can find their next appearance, then maybe we have a chance at tracking them." I inform Bruce as I type away at the computer. There is only one hit, all of them together in Lexcorp. Bane disappears while Luthor and Mercy put Ronnie in a car and drive away. When the car stops, I can't believe it.

"So Cadmus is the endgame, they need the proper equipment this time to complete their experiments instead of in a rundown warehouse." Bruce and I exchange looks.

"It'll be hard to break in without Ronnie. She was the only reason we got back in that second time." I sigh as I sit back in the chair. But Bruce is holding together, slipping into his Batman persona. He's getting more serious and detached by the second. I guess it's for the best since his emotions with Ronnie like a daughter to him could compromise the rescue mission.

"This is why we have to make a plan. Either we make a plan of attack, or a plan of infiltration. Both have their downsides, but we have to figure out which one can actually rescue her.

"Do we call the League?" I ask him, knowing that this is of major importance.

"No. If we do that, Roy will find out. She's his weakness, the minute he knows, he becomes a loose cannon. The aid we need will come from the Team, but we cannot tell them that we are rescuing Ronnie. They will have to find out for themselves when we get to her." Bruce sounds cold and calculating. When I look at him, all I see is the gears turning, trying to find a flawless plan to rescue the girl he was given to protect in the absence of her own parents.


	30. Chapter 30

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Cadmus**

**Saturday, August 20th, 2011**

I wake up in an all white room, pristine and disturbingly perfect. They put me under yesterday to take some samples of my brain to study. I haven't been conscious since then. But now that I am, I guess they want me in comfort because this room has everything I could need aside from a way out. I get out of the soft white bed and look around. There is a desk with paper and art supplies, even a typewriter if need be. I guess they are going old school to keep me under wraps.

I go to the far corner of the room, finding a bookshelf and a recliner that seems out of place. The shelf seems to contain the exact same books that I have back home. But I know they aren't because most of them are paperback, probably because they had to be found on short notice. There is a floor length mirror by the door as well as a dresser. But I'm let down when I open the drawers to check the contents. It's all the same repeated white scrubs as well as undergarments. I check the bathroom and find the same brand products in the shower as I do at home. These people have really done their homework. There is a knock at the door and Vandal Savage enters.

"Hello." I greet him with a curt nod before sitting down on the edge of the bed. He grabs the rolly chair from the desk and sits down in front of me. Considering he has an ability that is an acute version of mine, I become curious about his scars across his face. You have to wonder how bad the original inflicted wound had to be to leave scars like that.

"You have been very cooperative, and I thank you. So, I'm holding up my end of the deal. Since you have undergone three of our tests, you get to ask three questions." He puts it out there, plain and simple. I take this as an important opportunity, so I think about it for a minute.

"Where did the six leaguers go during the siege?" I ask first. This is the main reason why I made this deal in the first place. He recomposes himself in the chair, shifting like he doesn't necessarily want to answer this question.

"Rimbor." Is all he says. I guess he won't give me the specifics, but a name is enough for now. Enough to actually take the investigation somewhere. I take another minute in order to think about my next question. There are so many I want to ask but for now, I only have two left.

"What is the Light's next move?" I get out, he seems to relax a bit. I guess this wasn't an extremely special question, but it could still be useful. He looks me right in the eye. It's a bit unnerving but I hold my ground, just like I do with Batman.

"Reaching out and opening communications with a partner beyond our solar system in order to advance towards the goal of drawing in another planet in order to open up relations and negotiate a special deal." He releases a bit more information than before, but it's still vague. As insignificant as it is, it can still lead the ongoing investigation in a positive direction. I take my final minute to think about the final question. This one has been eating at me for a while now.

"Since the Light is an agent of change, and you all wanted me to be trained and molded into a better hero and covert ops agent, I'm going to ask this: did you have my parents killed?" I grow angry, starting in the pit of my stomach. A smile forms on Vandal's face, like he was waiting for the question to be answered.

"Yes." He puts it simply before getting up out of his chair. "I'm glad I could answer your questions, I'll be seeing you after the next few tests in order to answer more of your questions." He turns and walks out through the door. I hear it lock and an overwhelming silence falls over the room. I desperately need something to do, so I get up and look at the bookshelf. I can't focus at all. I sit in the chair and flip so I'm upside down, my head dangling over the edge. I let out a large sigh and after a few minutes, I get up and start pacing around the room. Before I can really do anything, there is a knock at the door and a scientist enters.

"What is the test this time?" I ask, approaching her and sitting down in the chair.

"I'm going to bring you into the operation room. You'll be prepped and then we will do an enhanced method of numbing with an adapted kind of epidural. You'll be completely numb, but we want to map your brain. There will be probes inserted into various parts of your brain, then we will show you images of different stimulants in order to get a better understanding of your brain function and the chemical production happening within when you react." She begins to explain as we walk.

"Well, as long as I don't feel anything." I shrug as someone opens the door for me. In the center of the room, there is an odd looking chair. Seven needles at the ready with fluid running through the tubes from the needles to a machine. I sit down and people begin strapping me to the chair.

"Inserting needles in three, two, one." Someone says before I hear the click of a button. My entire body tenses up and I grit my teeth against the pain. The needles insert simultaneously, first at the base of my neck, then six more periodically down my spine. The pain fades as I lose feeling, starting in my toes and it works it's way up to my waist, then suddenly I have no feeling whatsoever. I feel my face droop and every single part of my body relaxes. Doctors approach me. As much as I don't feel it, I can hear the grotesque noises of them cutting around my hairline and peeling back the skin on my head. I hear the saw of them cutting the top of my skull. If I could cringe, I would. After the probes are inserted into my brain, a screen turns on, glowing and white.

"Now," The female scientist begins, "all you need to do is look at the pictures and think about them," She instructs. I eye the screen and soon, image after image appears, each for about thirty seconds at a time. First, it's things like young animal offspring, then it shifts to things like crime scenes and car accidents. They strike a chord when I see a few images of my parents, but I calm down when I see a picture of Roy. Judging by the look in his eyes and the braces, it seems to be a school photo but either way, it helps. Soon, I see various pictures of Superheroes and Villains. Different emotions arrive with each one. Anger with Joker, wariness of Black Adam, admiration for Black Canary, attachment to Batman. They show me pictures of civilizations and sceneries before the screen shuts off. The doctors are halfway finished with putting me back together when I hear noises coming from the hallway outside the O.R. People begin to yell and I hear the sounds of fighting and retaliation. Someone deactivates the inhibition of my regeneration for a moment and allows my head to seal itself together. It switches back on before my body can fight the spinal tap. Before the tap is deactivated, the door is broken down.

"Back away from the subject!" I familiar female voice yells as someone else comes up and removes the scientists and doctors from my vicinity. I want to look and see who my liberators are, but I still can't move. I'm beginning to feel tired when I recognize Robin coming in front of me to undo the restraints that are keeping me in place. I want to say something but my mouth won't move.

"Everything is going to be fine Ronnie." He promises as he pulls me out of the chair. "Aqualad! Help me with her!" He orders. I guess Batman made him the leader of the mission.

"The rescue mission was to retrieve Ronnie?" I recognize the voice to be Artemis. She seems genuinely shocked and everyone else is completely silent.

"Yeah. Batman ordered me not to say anything. It was just a precaution to make sure we didn't jeapordize this mission." He explains as Aqualad picks my limp body up bridal style. They run out with me and make their escape. I feel completely useless, not even able to speak and I'm pretty sure I'm drooling. But things are lightened when I realize how the team even got in. There is a giant hole broken through different walls in strategic places. We all pile into the elevator and it goes up. When it stops, M'gann begins using her telekinesis, forcing the elevator car to move up the shaft. We make it to the ground floor and they run outside.

"Team to Batman," Zatanna says into her comm. "We've retrieved the subject. Boarding the Bioship now." She reports and M'gann takes the ship out of camouflage mode. We board the ship and Aqualad lays me down on a sort of gurney that happened to appear out of nowhere. The wonders of martian biotechnology. The ship takes off.

"We have to get the collar off. It's the fastest way for her to get better. If there's anything she can tell us, she can't until the drugs wear off." Wally says as he assesses the collar. Zatanna comes over to me and focuses. After a minute, she opens her mouth.

"Etavitca-ed." She says with her hands on the collar. It shuts off and opens. They remove it and I slowly begin to feel everything.

"Rimbor…" I mutter as the Bioship lands at the cave. I sit up slowly and put my feet on the ground, mentally preparing myself to walk. My entire body feels like jelly. Robin comes up next to me, his hands at the ready, like he knows I'm going to collapse. But, I take the first few steps before following the rest of the team off the ship and the the mission room. Everyone lines up and I stand behind Batman.

"There were mistakes and there is room for improvement, but you adapted and completed the mission. I want your full reports by tomorrow. Good job." He comments before dismission the team. I walk slowly with him to the zeta tube, my bare feet making little patter noises on the floor of the cave. The minute we appear in the Batcave, Bruce pulls down the cowl and lets out a sigh. He pull me into a hug when I least expect it.

"I was worried that I failed you." He seems genuinely worried for my well being.

"I didn't fail you, I took over the situation and managed to get some answers." I get ready to tell him the two important questions I had answered. The third one was for my personal benefit.

"You can tell me tomorrow. Right now, you should put on a fresh change of clothes and then we can have dinner, whatever you want." He begins to get fatherly. I not and head up to the Manor ahead of him so he can change out of the Batsuit. In my room, I take a breath before removing the white scrubs and changing into pajamas. As soon as I finish, I check my phone and find that I have over ten missed calls from Roy. I decide to call him back and when he answers, I feel relieved to hear his voice.

"Where have you been? I've been trying to get a hold of you." He sounds super relieved to hear from me.

"Something happened, but don't worry, I'm okay." I assure him, a smile crossing my face. It feels good to be home.

"Are you sure?" He checks again, not sure it he should believe me or not.

"Yeah, I'm sure." I say into the phone. "I'm going to come over tomorrow and I'll explain everything, alright?" I begin to feel my stomach rumble, probably because I haven't eaten since the first procedure.

"Alright. My place at noon." He plans.

"Fine. I love you." I say, getting excited to see him.

"I love you too." He says back. Everything starts to feel better after the stress of today, the fear of the past forty eight hours.


	31. Chapter 31

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Wayne Manor**

**Monday, October 31st, 2011**

It has been sixty one days since I was rescued from cadmus, not a single peep from anyone from the Light. What's even weirder, there has barely been any super humans or trained assassins partaking in criminal activity. Not even in Gotham has there been anything of that nature. It's like the world has gone to the times before abilities, filled with petty crimes, murder, and robberies, all pursued by the police. In Gothams case, still with Batman and Robin since that's their thing. But I guess its a good time for everything to be calm when Troia joined the team. She's a little die hard, a bit more than her mentor.

On this wonderful Halloween night, we must ignore these things and act like any other human being on Halloween. Tonight, Bruce has the Luxury of hosting a masquerade, inviting all family friends as well as business partners from Wayne Enterprises. Lucky for me, that means Roy will be here since Queen Industries and Wayne Enterprises are partners. I even have Zatanna since Dick was allowed to invite her as his date and Babs is coming because her father is invited as the Police Commissioner of Gotham.

The guests have already begun to arrive, so I hurry to step into my heels and take one last look at myself in the mirror. The white mask on my face is like thin vines of pearly leafs, my electric blue eyes lined with black eyeliner and thick mascara. My golden curls have been pulled into large ringlets, the top of my hair pulled back into a half. The dress is another story. It's a very pale mint green with pearly lace of vines and leaves just like the mask, completely covering the sleeves and slowly thinning out as it moves down the bust to my waist. My breathing is slightly halted when my ribcage expands, the tight ribbon just below my bust is just as pearly white as the lace. The dress just grazes the floor as I stand in my pearly white heels. When I move, the top to layers of silky fabric trail behind me like an aura, an exaggeration of my movements. I do one last twirl in the mirror and when the fabric settles, I leave my room and begin to descend the stairs. When I make it to the first floor, I look around the room, nearly overwhelmed by the number of people. I'm nearly going to have a panic attack until I find Bruce in the sea of people. He's talking to some business partners.

"And who might this young lady be?" The woman asks, interrupting her date and Bruce as I approach them. Bruce puts his hand lightly on my shoulder. Her red dress and black mask suggest that she is trying too hard to impress. I look over a see Bruce with his mask. It's amusing because it has two little devil horns. The mask is a blood red and matches his bowtie.

"This is Veronica Grey, she came into the family just last year." He introduces me, I give a curt nod and smile to the couple. They seem fascinated with me.

"I remember your father, such and intelligent man. He consulted on my industrial centrifuge projects." The man states, suddenly gaining more and more interest. I know exactly which project he is talking about.

"Well then, you must be Ted Kord, of Kord Industries." I acknowledge him. He smiles. Bruce begins talking with Mr. Kord's date as I speak with him.

"I am, I've heard that you are currently employed at Wayne Tech. The work you've done with nanotechnology in less than a year at your young age, it's astounding. If you ever want to work with Kord Industries, our doors are always open to the Grey family." He offers. I think about it for a moment.

"The offer is intriguing, Mr. Kord. My next project involves clean, sustainable energy. I'm sure if you contact Mr. Wayne or Mr. Fox, you can get in on the project. Maybe make it a gesture of goodwill between companies, great for publicity as well as getting different experts and points of view on the project." I tell him, knowing that this is the kind of thing that he shouldn't say no to.

"Alright, I will." He smiles, taking a sip of his champagne. I catch a glimpse of short auburn hair in the corner.

"If you'll excuse me," I give him a smile before looking for Roy. The red head I saw was some other business tycoon, and the stress is getting to me, so I grab a glass of champagne from one of the servers and take a large sip. But I have something else to do when I see the police commissioner and Barbara. As I approach them, I get a good look at Babs. She really is something tonight. She's wearing a black, one shoulder grecian dress that is fitted with three gold bands around her waist. Her red hair falls over one shoulder, curled like a movie star. Her makeup is simple with gold eyeshadow and thin eyeliner and judging by her height, he isn't wearing any heels. I know because I'm finally taller than her with my added six inches. She's really trying tonight.

"Commissioner Gordon, long time no see." I smile, hiding the champagne glass behind my back. He looks interesting all done up in a fancy, decorated police uniform.

"Good Evening Ms. Grey. Have you seen Bruce? I have business to discuss with him pertaining to the undecided location of the Wayne Foundation's free clinic." He looks around.

"Yes, I believe he is over there, speaking with…" I look at the blonde man next to him, "Mr. Queen." I smile, knowing that where there's a Queen, there's a Harper.

"Thank you." He steps away, leaving Barbara with me.

"You look amazing, Babs." I compliment her. She grins like she doesn't believe me.

"I don't know, I'm not really one to dress up like this." She looks down and begins to blush. She's nervous about something. Her confidence slowly begins to return.

"Well you look fantastic." I notice Roy approach us out of the corner of my eye.

"H-have you seen Dick? I haven't seen him yet and I thought we could hang out since I'm here." Her red lips curl into a smile, still nervous. Her hands slightly shaking, but it begins to go away. I know exactly where this is going and I've always wanted this to happen, but Zatanna is here and I don't want to see Babs get let down.

"Last I saw he was headed for the kitchen to get a snack, but that was nearly an hour ago." I sigh. I feel a pair of hands touch my shoulders, one slipping down to take the champagne glass from my hand behind my back. I turn to see Roy with a mint mask and bowtie.

"How did you know what color my dress was?" I grin, straightening his bowtie.

"Dick told me." He looks to Barbara. "Hi, I'm Roy Harper." He smiles, putting out his hand.

"Barbara Gordon." She smiles, shaking his hand. Roy seems shocked and get's this coy look on his face. Someone brushes me as they walk past and my entire body cringes. I feel like the crowd of people is growing in the room.

"_The Barbara Gordon?_ Dick told me about you. You two are really close." He smiles. This is going to make things so much harder if she finds out about Dick and Zatanna. But it's inevitable, so all I can do is spare her the pain tonight, then if Dick want's he can rip off the bandaid another time.

"Yeah, Dick and I have been going to school together for a long time." She smiles, fiddling with the little gold bracelet on her wrist. The talking around us seems to get louder.

"Yeah, Dick and I have been friends for a while as well." Roy mentions as he notices my jitters and sideways glances at other guests. He hands me my champagne glass back and I down the remaining bit. A server skirts by and I quickly exchange my empty glass for a full one without him noticing. But the more I drink, the more I remember that my regeneration doesn't allow me to get drunk, not even a tiny bit. I can't take the edge off at all.

"You know what, Roy? Why don't you help Barbara find Dick while I go do something." I tell him and I leave the two red heads. They seem rather confused but now is not the time. I slip away into the kitchen, passed the hired help and I go stand in the personal pantry, shutting the door behind me. Everything is suddenly quiet, enough for me to actually think, enough to actually breath. As my back is turned, I hear the door open and close again. I turn to see Dick.

"Are you okay?" He raises an eyebrow, eyeing me, probably to look for signs of distress and such.

"What are you doing in here? Where's Zatanna?" I ask quickly, looking around the room, trying to calm myself down. He just walks right up to me and grabs my shoulders. This forces me to remember that he's growing, starting to look more like the big brother than I am the big sister.

"She's just outside. We followed you after I noticed the expression on your face when you decided to disappear into the kitchen. Now I'm going to ask again, are you okay?" He looks me straight in the eye, like the answers to his question are written on my retinas.

"Just freaking out a little bit. After all this time, I'm still not much of a people person. Especially not with this many people." I say as I start cracking my knuckles. I even manage to get my wrists and elbows to crack.

"Hey, don't worry. This is our night. Everyone is here for our family, your family. Don't waste your time hiding in here and just take a leap of faith. You don't even have to talk anyone that you don't want to. Okay?" He gives my shoulders a reassuring squeeze and I nod. Finally, I notice his mask, a bright lavender that matches his bowtie and vest.

"Okay." I breath. The two of us walk out and I see Zatanna, wearing a strapless evening gown with the exact same shade as Dick's mask and bowtie. But her mask is black lace and her lips are painted a deep violet. The two look happily coordinated. They are literally like Prom dates in training. "Hi." I nod to her and she smiles, acknowledging me. We make our way back to the ballroom and Roy and Barbara. I immediately feel bad when I see her reaction to Dick holding hands with Zatanna. She manages to hold onto a plain, emotionless face. Not cold, but not welcoming either.

"Babs… you l-look…" Dick stutters but before Zatanna notices, he gets it together. "You clean up nice, Gordon." He grins. He's growing up to be such a dog, but atleast he's maintaining the situation. I feel Roy slip his hand into mine.

"You don't look so bad yourself, Grayson." Barbara smirks. She's starting to seem less and less intimidated by Zatanna's presence.

"I believe introductions are in order." I start. "Zatanna, this is Barbara. Barbara, Zatanna." I introduce the two.

"You can call me Babs, it's just easier." Barbara smiles at the little magician. Zatanna returns the expression.

"In that case, just call me Zee." The two seem to hit it off nicely.

"Well, we'll leave the three of you to hang out." Roy says, putting his hand around my waist and leading me away. A smile crosses my face as I realize he is leading me to the ballroom. The orchestra starts a new song, slow and melodic. Roy brings me to the center of the floor and twirls me around, my dress fanning out for the brief moment. He brings me back in, resting one hand on my waist and the other intertwining with mine as I rest my other hand on his shoulder. We begin to dance, nearly ignoring everyone around us.

"I'm glad we have tonight." I smile, looking into his blue eyes as we dance. The notes and chords of the music are long and alluring in my ears.

"I agree and I forgot to mention earlier, but you really do look like a princess tonight." He grins before twirling me around once again. The look coming from his eyes is taunting me, my knees going weak.

"Every princess needs a prince, Mr. Harper. Even one as perfect as you." I say, enjoying the moment. Out of nowhere, he dips me, catching me by surprise, butterflies rising in my stomach. When he brings me back up, I lean into his ear, "and I must say, you in a tux, it's making it hard to focus." The whisper catches him off guard this time. He get's this look on his face.

"Veronica Grey, are you attempting to talk dirty to me?" He scoffs in a hushed tone, one that seems so surprised that I can't help but giggle.

"I have to admit, the more well dressed you are, the more I want to take everything off of you." I tease him in a low tone in his ear. When I pull back to look at him, he leans in to kiss me, but I laugh and put my finger to his lips to stop him.

"What?" He laughs, his hand sliding down from my waist, inch by inch. I reach back and grab his wrist.

"It's not the time, nor place, Mr. Harper." I laugh. He smiles, I know he was just joking. The two of us continue to dance through the night. Only having to cover for bruce for an hour and a half as he disappeared to be Batman, just to grab a criminal or two that decided to terrorise a few streets of Gotham on this Halloween night.


	32. Chapter 32

**Author's Note: Hi! Just so no one is confused, I'm skipping around so I can introduce other members of the team to the story. Just wanted to say that before I got back to the story.**

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Mt. Justice**

**Wednesday, February 1st, 2012**

"Do you think the League has any new leads about the missing sixteen hours yet?" Wally asks as Artemis delivers one last kick to Rocket's chest as they spar. They check their tallies scores as I crack my back in a backbend.

"I told them about Rimbor and how the Light has a partner that could help them bring another planet into play. So far, nothing. Apparently Rimbor means reimbursement in Maltese, but it's supposed to be a place. The partner thing, they're just going to have to do surveillance on members of the Light because there are no direct files on anything called Rimbor. Unless it's a planet, system, or galaxy outside of our own, I have no way of figuring this out, much less the League." I explain as I stand up. Wally and move to center of the training space and let the computer scan and recognize us.

"Well, they could have the Lanterns talk to the Guardians, see if they know anything." He suggests as we take our stances. I hear Tula, Garth and Kaldur zeta in as Wally makes the first move, swinging at me. I block and kick him in the Ribs.

"That's true," I duck and roll out of the way as he does a quick round house kick. "But what do we do if the Guardians reject him, say the planet isn't in their space sector so it's none of their business?" I debate, flipping over Wally, grabbing his shoulders and twisting, taking him off balance as I use my weight to bring him down, and launch him back over my head. As I turn to watch him flatten out, he rolls mid air so he lands in a crouch.

"But it wouldn't happen if the Lanterns mentioned their evidence as to how it pertained to our space sector, then the Guardians would have to be obligated to relinquish the information." He explains as he runs at me, I electrify myself and use it to sidestep faster than he can attack. "That's cheating." He huffs, running back at me as I repeat the side step.

"I'm going to do it if you continue to use super speed." I laugh, bounding forward and doing a front tuck, kicking out my legs so my feet connect with his shoulders, knocking him back. "And the Guardians could still-" I pause the do an aerial, using the momentum to finish the fight and put him on his back. "They could still say no." I finally get out as I put my hand out to help him up.

"Well, then we can just hope they don't." He shrugs as soon as he stands up. The two of us walk to the kitchen to find Artemis and Rocket eating cookies with M'gann and Troia. The girl is extremely intimidating, literally being and exact mirror of Wonder Woman herself. But here she is, eating cookies with other teenage girls while wearing just jean shorts and a t-shirt. I did into the fridge.

"Wally?" I ask, holding out a jar of pickles to be visible past the refrigerator door.

"Oh yeah." I hear him. I throw it in his direction and hear him catch it as I pull out some yogurt and move to the pantry. I pull out some crackers, oreos and nutella and go sit down. Wally and Artemis plop down next to me.

"I cannot believe how much the two of you eat sometimes." Rocket comments with a weird look on her face as Wally and I plow into the assortment of food, eating past the points of the average human.

"I think they are amusing." Troia, Donna, says with an odd deadpan, her clear blue eyes following my hand as it grabs more food.

"If you think we're entertaining, you should see Superboy and Superman." Wally jokes, causing Artemis to punch his arm.

"No but seriously, if you ever really need someone to help introduce you to American culture, just ask one of us." I offer, she smiles. I'm still a little curious about what goes on in the head of an amazon her age.

"I will, but for now I would rather protect humanity with Diana than experience it." She answers firmly. I don't say anything else, I just continue to eat.

"Oh Ronnie, have you heard from any Colleges yet?" M'gann asks me, bringing up a very nerve wracking topic.

"Harvard and MIT confirmed that they are reviewing my applications and then Oxford and Cambridge scheduled interviews to go along with my applications. I meet with representatives from Cambridge on the eighteenth and from Oxford on the 25th. Yale has been scouting me since my cancer project and have been stepping up their game since I applied to Harvard. I honestly don't want to go to Yale. Not my kind of people." I tell them. M'gann grins from ear to ear.

"That's amazing! A lot of people at Happy Harbor are applying to party schools so they can have the _full experience_." She puts up air quotes. Troia looks confused.

"The full experience?" She asks with an eyebrow raised.

"The full experience at college are the greek parties and drinking with Fraternity brothers. I might as well not do that since I'm physically incapable of getting drunk." I laugh, getting back to eating my snacks. Before I can finish, my watch begins to go off.

"I guess that's my queue." I sigh, getting up and leaving the food with Wally. I head back to the mission room so I can zeta to Gotham. I pass Zatanna and she stops me.

"I know you didn't let anyone say anything last year but I will this year." She gives me a hug, knowing I have to go. "Happy Birthday."

"Thanks, Zee." I return the hug and give her a smile before slipping away so I can get to Gotham on time. I pass the Atlanteans, noticing the awkward glances between Tula and Kaldur as she is linked hand and hand with Garth. Before they notice me, I step into the zeta tube and disappear, reappearing in the Batcave. The first person I see is Alfred.

"Master Bruce is on his way down. I suggest you suit up", Miss Grey." He has a little smirk breaking his serious facade.

"I know, I know. I'm going." I smile, walking over to my suit and pulling it off the mannequin and stepping behind my respective curtain. I'm quite happy, the uniform has been adapted to a full body suit, the soles of the feet with an extremely thin but durable and shock absorbent polymer, allowing me to improve my level of stealth. The shiney blue utility belt and wrist cuffs are still there, but gloves have been included this time, merging flawlessly with the long sleeves. The lightning pattern of my sleeve no longer remains, but a blue pattern like a circuit board on my chest, the design crossed by a white bolt of lightning. I pull my hair back into a tight bun as I hear Bruce typing away at the computer. I step out and find him looking at Arkham files.

"Tonight, patrol starts with investigating Arkham. The escapees are Poison Ivy, Killer Croc, Clayface, Scarecrow, Solomon Grundy, Ventriloquist and the Joker." He looks at me with a dark look. The brood has already set in as I follow him to the Batmobile. I download the files as he revs the engine. The downloads complete the second the vehicle lurches forward and speeds towards Gotham.

"So, first sighting is of Clayface in a pharmaceutical warehouse?" I ask, watching things fly by outside the window.

"He'll be easy for you. Just one strong jolt of electricity and he's incapacitated. When he's out and contained, we'll continue from there." He instructs as the Batmobile makes a tight turn, we close in on Clayface's location. I send out a beacon of radio waves to the Gotham City Police department, a message continueing on a loop saying only one word: Clayface.

"You coming in with me or staying in the car." I ask, he climbs out.

"I'm coming in after you, If I thing you need help, I'll step in. But you really only need to electrocute him. This should be quick and simple." He reminds me. I run in on my own. The dark, shadowy warehouse seems overly dramatized by the looming shelves stacked three stories tall. I begin to hear the sound of something slashing and squishing on the floor. I track it and find Clayface standing in an aisle, rummaging through a crate, looking for something. I sneak and round and perch on one of the shelves, energy building up. Just as Clayface stands out straight, removing himself from the box, I clap my hands together. The clap immediately releases a shockwave of electricity. I don't stay long for his retrieval. As soon as I hear sirens and see the blue flashing in the window, I slip out the back and climb into the Batmobile. Batman was waiting for me and as soon as my door shut, he speeds off to the next location.

"So, where to next?" I ask, noticing the seriousness in his eyes are he focuses on the road ahead of him. We run a red light and make a hard turn.

"Botanical Gardens," He begins as we pick up in speed, "Ivy and Grundy were spotted there together less than five minutes ago." His gruff voice is almost unnerving. I start to think.

"I've never had the pleasure of meeting Solomon Grundy. An undead chlorokinetic? Should be fun." I smile, actually interested in what's coming next. This thing heals like I do, but he just has a more blatantly _dead_ appearance.

"It's good that you're enthusiastic. You'll need it when we fight him." Batman is completely deadpan. As much as he is probably aggravated that we have to round up a bunch of escapees, I'm just really excited. There are some that I have never had the liberty of combatting with. But, I'm probably in this good mood since it's my 18th Birthday and I'm a legal adult.

The Batmobile stops outside of the Gotham City Botanical Gardens and the two of us run in together, side by side. I notice Robin's motorcycle stashed in a bush as Bats and I enter the garden, following the sound of unnatural plant growth and screaming civilians. Robin is up in a tree, analysing the situation. Probably a good idea since what I'm looking at is Grundy grabbing hostages one by one and bringing them to Ivy, the noose around his neck swinging like a tie. One by one, she would give them an unwanted kiss, exposing them to pheromones that she is known to secrete. So, one by one, they would stagger away with their eyes bloodshot and the irises an odd new shade of green. Batman skirts around the perimeter, so I do the same in the opposite direction. For a moment, I'm beginning to think he's pushing me closer to Grundy on purpose. Maybe it's a learning experience.

The situation calls for drawing Grundy's attention away from the people, so I do just that. I leap high in the hair and come crashing down on his head. He roars grabs my ankle, smashing my down on the ground before him. I run and he follows. Almost immediately, Batman and Robin come out of the Shadows and begin to battle Ivy.

"Solomon Grundy! Born on Monday!" He manages to shriek in a deep tone, leaping at me and grabbing my ankle again, throwing me against a tree. I look at my ankle and see the black skin creeping across my body before dissipating. Lucky I can heal faster than his touch can kill me.

"Ah, the famous poem of Solomon Grundy." I laugh to myself as he glares at me with hollow eyes.

"Christened on Tuesday!" He bellows as he leaps high into the air. I roll out of the way just before he smashes his hands into the ground where I was. I do aerials and flips, dodging his blows. I start planting little explosives in places that I know they won't detach from, like festering, open wounds.

"Come on Grundy, I know you can do better." I taunt, trying to get him in a good position so I can plant an explosive in a gash between his shoulder blades. He removes one of the meat cleavers from the assortment of knives in his back.

"Married on Wednesday!" He growls, slashing at me with the meat cleaver. This is a moment where I'm happy that I'm wearing the new suit. No unnecessary blood to have to clean up later. The cleaver grazes my chest and doesn't even leave a scratch.

"I know you're not very smart, but running through your poem doesn't really make sense at the moment." I smile. He opens his mouth to get read to shout, but I toss the last explosive in and activate all of the charges at once.

"Born on monday, christened on tuesday, married on wednesday, took ill on thursday, worse on friday, died on saturday, buried on sunday. This is the end of Solomon Grundy." I run through the poem for him out of pity as the limp body begins to put itself back together in order to re-animate, but I keep the head away from the body, making sure he can't function until after they take him back to Arkham. I look over and see that Batman and Robin subdued Ivy with the usual overwhelm tactic.

"What now?" Robin asks as the three of us get back to the vehicles. He starts pulling his motorcycle out of the brush as Batman and I climb into the Batmobile.

"Scarecrow. Killercroc, Joker, and the Ventriloquist are off the grid but we will be ready when they show up." I reply, seeing the security footage of Scarecrow, standing in the center of Gotham City park in the center of Downtown.

"Tesla, why don't you sit this one out? We'll handle Scarecrow." Batman gestures to Robin. I can't believe this.

"What? You suddenly don't think I'm capable?" I scoff, angry that he won't trust me in a situation with a crazed masked man with an obsession with fear.

"He seems to be baiting us and his last visitor at Arkham was Mercy Graves. He could be trying to set a trap for you, and I will not put you in danger that easily." He replies in an angry and commanding tone.

"Fine, I'll go." I get out of the Batmobile and approach Robin. I climb on the bike as Robin takes my place in the Batmobile.

"Besides, what kind of Birthday would it be if you ended up getting exposed to Fear Toxin?" He cracks a little smile for a split second. I can't stay mad at him after that. He never smiles as Batman. I rev the engine of the bike and speed off as they race off to Scarecrow. I make it back to the Batcave pretty quickly without any detours. I just change back into civvies and go upstairs where I am quickly met by Alfred.

"What is it?" I ask him, he looks completely smug.

"You have a visitor, Miss Grey. He's in the Kitchen." Alfred says before going off on his own. I go to the kitchen and find Roy doing something. I hear the click of a lighter and he turns around with a rather large cupcake with a lit candle coming out of it.

"Happy Birthday, Ronnie." He smiles, handing me the cupcake. I look at it and notice the cream cheese icing with a cookie poking out.

"Is this what I think it is?" I ask excitedly, looking into his big blue eyes.

"Cookie Monster from Sweetie's Cupcakes." He smiles, pretty pleased with himself as I gawk at the cupcake. "Make a wish." He comes to myself and kissed my cheek. I pretend to think for a second, and blow out the candle. As much as I want it, I set down the cupcake on the counter and pull Roy down into a kiss. His hands fall to my waist and pull my into him. I pull away.

"Well, Mr. Harper. The dynamic duo won't be back for a while and Alfred knows to mind his business…" I bite my lip, his breathing becoming a little heavier. I jump on him and he holds me up, my legs wrapping around him as he manages to carry me up to my room while the two of us are intertwined in a kiss.


	33. Chapter 33

**Veronica Grey's Pov**

**Gotham**

**Sunday, April 1st, 2012**

My comm goes off as I sit on the floor with all four of my college acceptance letters in front of me. I have to make a decision soon but I'm having trouble. I let the comm ring one more time before I answer. The letters are stressing me out, so I look away and answer the comm call.

"Tesla." I get up from the floor and grab the extra uniform stashed in a secret compartment of my closet. There is a long pause on the other end of the line.

"It's Batman. I have a situation with the Batmobile in the Zeta Alley. You're the fastest way of getting the vehicle back to normal." The line cuts as I hear a young boy's voice in the background. I run down the the Batcave and use the Zeta Tube, appearing to the scenes of the Batmobile on cinderblocks, all four tires missing and Batman standing in shock, looking at some kid with a black eye covered in grease, holding a tire iron.

"What happened?" I ask, trying really hard not to laugh. This is an extremely picturesque moment that one could only dream of seeing. But I walk around the car and get a closer look.

"This kid, who hasn't said his name yet, was in the middle of stripping the Batmobile down for parts when I got back." Bats tells me with a complete deadpan look that doesn't leave the kid. So I approach the young boy and bend down so we are at eye level.

"Hi, I'm Tesla." I introduce with a warm smile. The kid looks nervous, probably since he got caught. "Now, you're not in trouble, I just want to know if you have any nuts and bolts in your pocket, they might fly out while I'm fixing the car." I look at him, hoping he will relinquish everything he took. Slowly, he pulls bits of metal out of his pockets and sets them in my outstretched palm. I smile and stand up. I put my other hand on the hood of the car and analyse everything. It's just the four tires and a severed brake line from and improper tire removal. I focus and the car reassembles itself in no time flat.

"How did you do that?" The kid asks in awe after all his hard work is reversed in less than a minute.

"I'll tell you how I did it, if you tell me your name and where you're from?" I negotiate to get information without scaring him. This is always the part where Batman is not the best at his job. he may be a hero, but he frightens children up close.

"I-I'm Jason. Jason Todd. I'm not really from anywhere." He tells me, his blue eyes nervous, looking in the direction he pointed for the home.

"I have one last question," I start, he nods, "Why did you try and strip down the Batmobile?" I question, genuinely curious about his answer.

"This guy found out I was good with cars, so I strip them down and he sells the parts. I couldn't find a good car the past few days so I thought if I stripped the Batmobile, I wouldn't get in trouble. I look at his back eye, slowly reaching up so as not to scare him, but I rest my hand on the side of his face, turning his head to get a better look at his eye.

"Did your friend do this to you?" I remove my hands from his face and he looks down on the ground. I look back at Batman and he is just completely dumbfounded by this kid, like he just wants to give this kid a hug and a place to sleep. I step closer to Jason and he flinches and takes a step back. I remove my mask. "You don't have to be afraid of me, Jason. I'm just another girl." He looks into my eyes and relaxes.

"Tesla, I've to go. There is a lead on the joker and-" Batman starts, but I put a hand up.

"Not just yet. I need a quick word with you." I tell him and almost immediately, Batman takes a breath and I approach him, leaving the kid by the Batmobile.

"You shouldn't have revealed your identity to him. We don't know if he can be trusted." He says in a hushed but gruff voice.

"I'm sorry but he has no where to go and it's not like my identity is that much of a secret to our enemies. It won't expose yours either. We need to do something for him." I plead, hoping Bruce has something in mind.

"Fine, use your abilities and enroll him in The Gotham School for Troubled Youth." He suggests. I take that the wrong way.

"Batman, that place is fishy and you know it." I snap, angry that he would even suggest it.

"Then tell him he won't be there long. Be our eyes and ears inside so we can find out what's going on before bringing down the operation of whatever's going on inside." He finally states.

"Okay. I'll handle it. Now go and catch Joker. I don't want to hear about some mass killing while he's loose." I say before walking back to Jason. Bruce gets in the Batmobile and races off into the night. I mentally begin to run through the protocol of creating an enrollment file for Jason.

"You said you would tell me how you fixed the car." Jason says, still curious about before.

"I did." I say as I bend down so the two of us are at eye level. "So, I'm a technopath. Do you know what that is?"

"You can control technology, but that doesn't explain how you make everything move back into place." He's asking all the right questions.

"You're right." I laugh. "I can also control metal with my mind." I tell him, a smile grows on his face as I put my mask back on. I watch as he gets up and grabs his tire iron and tosses it in front of me. I don't even let it hit the ground. The tire iron hovers in mid air, Jason watching with interest. I let it drop as I walk over to the faux dumpster, his file completely prepared and ready to go for him to go to the boys home.

"What are you doing?" he asks as I press my hand to the dumpster. It activates and opens, allowing me access to the supplies within. I pull out a backpack full of some of Dick's backup civvies since they'll probably fit Jason without a problem. I grab a sweatshirt and sling my utility belt across my chest, extending it so it lays flat beneath the thick fabric. I press the chest of my suit and the legs adapt, moving up my body in order to look like I'm wearing a pair of shorts. I stick my mask in my pocket and I grab one of the motorcycles. The storage unit opens.

"I'm going to take you to a sort of boys home where you will be taken care of. But, Batman is suspicious of the people that run it, so, maybe you could be our eyes and ears in there." I say, but he looks down. "But I promise, if it doesn't work out there, I'll find you another home, okay?" I ask, hopping on the bike.

"Okay." He says quietly and I gesture for him to climb onto the back of the bike with me. He does, wrapping his hands around my waist and securing them tightly. I race off into the city, Jason looking around at the blurred lights around us from the glittering night skyline of Gotham. It's a sort of beautiful sight that, for me, is often paired with rushing adrenaline and excitement of the speed and the wind hitting my face. When we finally arrive, I stash the bike and the two of us go up the front steps of the institution. Jason seems nervous. But I know he is going to be just, as long as there is a roof over his head.

* * *

**The Cave**

****Just an hour or two later**

Kahn paces around in excitement as I rip of bits of meat from a massive raw steak, and throw them high. He leaps high into the air with accuracy, snatching each bit of meat right out of the air. I toss some meat to wolf to be nice as he comes and sits next to me. Connor and M'gann are out on a date so I'm hanging out with the animals in my sweats. All of the sudden, Kahn stops, looks ahead and bounds as quickly as possible to the mission room from the hangar. Someone he likes just arrived. Wolf and I follow with the rest of the steak, only to find Kahn pinning someone to the ground and liking their face relentlessly like an excited dog.

"Kahn, off." I command and the giant lion gets up and walks over to me, plopping down, so content and relaxed. I toss the rest of the steak over to him as I realize that the pinned person was Roy.

"Why does he like me so much? I barely see him." He pull up the bottom of his shirt to wipe the saliva off his face, flashing his perfectly chiseled torso.

"I think it's because he knows I like you. I was wary of Troia and as soon as he met her, he stayed on the opposite side of the room, glaring." I tell him, looking back at the fluffy white lion, who is now mimicking the game I was playing with him with Wolf. He rips a chunk of meat off and manages to throw it high with his mouth for Wolf to catch.

"Well he is completely and utterly your lion. What is he going to do when you go to college?" Roy asks just before he give me a little peck in the lips.

"He's coming with me, no question. I'll get a house off campus with him and I'll make a collar that emits a frequency to all surrounding brains that will make everyone see an english mastiff instead of a lion so I can take him out during the day." I make the plan right on the spot. Roy laughs.

"And what about me, are you leaving me behind?" He asks, putting his hands on my waist.

"Never. There's always a branch of Queen Consolidated near by." I kiss him, but it's interrupted when we hear Connor and M'gann coming home.

"So, have you decided yet?" He asks, referring to my choice in college. I shake my head, the stress of that on top of my worrying of Jason hits me in a wave.

"Not yet. I didn't expect to get into all four." I admit, but Roy just laughs.

"Are you kidding? Most labs would kill for you to work for them, even without a college degree." He tells me, I hug him.

"Thank you." I say into his chest, it muffled by his shirt.

"For what?" He laughs, his blue eyes staring straight into mine as I look up at him.

"You know exactly what." I let go of the hug. "Do know what I wanna do?" I ask him, he grows cautious.

"What?" He ask as I have him walk with me to the zeta-tube, he yawns.

"I want you to come over and stay the night. Not do anything, but lay there and sleep." I tell him just before we Zeta to Gotham.

"Sounds like a plan." He smiles as the two of us walk out of the alley and grab a cab. The ride to my house is short as the two of us relax in the back seat. Oddly enough, I look out the window and see a girl on the street corner. The cab stops at the light and I see her, standing there wearing a white t-shirt and jeans. Her face is overly familiar, but I can't put my finger on it. Her blonde curly hair is like mine, but the only difference is that it's cropped short to her collar bones, where as mine is just barely to the tops of my hips. Her blue eyes match mine, electric and vivid, but there is an odd vacancy behind hers. Our heights and proportions are exactly the same, but her skin is paler than mine, like she missed out on every single beach day throughout her whole life. All of the sudden, she disappears among the crowd as the light turns green and the cab moves up the street.


	34. Chapter 34

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Wayne Manor**

**Friday, June 15th, 2012**

"So, Bruce told me you've been advancing pretty quickly with training." I say as Jason eats his waffles. As soon as he helped take down the crime organization that was running the boys home, Bruce saw his potential and took him on as his new ward. In other words, I have a new brother.

"I guess, every time I think it's getting easier, he makes it that much harder." Jason says solemnly as he continues to eat his breakfast. He's training to become the new Robin now that Dick is getting closer to making the switch to becoming Nightwing. I'm proud of him, he has the chance to become the hero he wants to be, instead of the one he is expected to be. Bruce might be seeing Jason as the better choice of the replacement Batman when the time comes. During training, Jason is completely removed, remorseless and is attention is undivided by anything. But the only flaw he has, it his anger. He could give Connor a run for his money.

"Well, that relaxes after the first few months. If you're anything like I was, it'll soon just be regular training and patrols with Bats." I assure him, but he shrugs. Ever since he got here, he's been cut off and serious, not living like a normal kid. It's all _eat, sleep, train_ with him. I'm worried it'll affect him in the long run, but I was like that in the beginning too, driven to become better.

"I just want to get out there and do something, finally." He says quietly, finishing his waffles as we sit at the kitchen table. There is an awkward silence for a bit before I find something else to say.

"So, I move to Massachusetts next month. I'm going early so I can settle in before school starts." I mention nonchalantly, trying to get him to relax and have a real conversation about normal life for once. I committed to Harvard and I already found a condo a few blocks from campus. Two bedrooms so I have a guest room and the view looks out to a park.

"That's nice. I'll visit, but I still have summers with you." He actually smiles. I don't often see him have even a remotely happy expression. But it may disappear with what I'm about to tell him about my college requirements.

"About that, I'm going to enroll in year round intensive studies. I just want to get college over with so I can get started with my life with and start helping the world in a way I can't do as Tesla." I tell him, he seems to understand. So far, the plan is for me to finish college early so I can take over Wayne tech. I'll be able to make my own choices on how I use my abilities to heal the human race as well as improve quality of life.

"It's amazing that you're so committed." He comments before his comm goes off. "I have to go, but I'll see you later." He gets up and walks away. I take our dishes and put them in the sink before I go up to my bedroom. There, I go in my closet and pull out a pair of jeans and a black tank top. I pull off my pajamas and pull on the clothes, rolling the bottoms of my jeans so they end just before my ankles. After stepping into my Birkenstock sandals, I pull my hair back into a ponytail and grab my purse. Today is my busy day of furniture shopping for the condo in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As menial and normal the activity sounds, I have to get this done. Real life is getting started for me and I can't decide if I like it or not. I head downstairs and get going, climbing into my car and driving off towards the city.

* * *

**A Few Hours Later**

There she is again. I see her often now. Each time I go downtown, she's there. Doesn't matter where I am, she is there. My mirror, my twin. The guess is that Cadmus succeeded in cloning me, but it's hard to believe after the great deal of struggle they went through to even collect viable samples of my dna, even more so that my dna doesn't replicate with orthodox methods. It's even more difficult to believe since the girl disappears before I can get close to her or even get a word out. _Besides, Cadmus would want me to know about their success in the terribly difficult task, right?_

"You would like it all shipped to the location on the twenty fourth of next month?" The clerk asks me, snapping me back to focus. She's referring to the living room furniture set that I decided on.

"Yes m'am, and you can charge it to this." I hand her the shiny black credit card with my name on it. This card gives me access to my parents estate that I received access to on my eighteenth birthday when I became a legal adult. I'm using it for all the moving expenses and things. Bruce offered to pay, but I said I wanted to do it all on my own. Besides, I'm saving a hell of a lot of money since I managed to land a full ride to Harvard. They like me even better since I'm living off campus and don't require any amenities from the school besides the education and programs.

"Well, you're all set! You just have to be on location when the delivery is made." She smiles, the whole _thing_ she's doing, is that annoying retail worker behavior that bugs a lot of people, but she's being polite.

"Thank you." I give her a smile, turning around and looking for the mirrored girl, but she's gone, and I need to go, so I start walking away. As I walk past a hallway of maintenance doors, I see her, standing there. "Who are you?" I call down the hallway. She gestures for me to come closer, so I do but with extreme caution.

"I don't have much time, they will be returning to my cell soon." She says in a hoarse, damaged voice, like I'm hearing her through a phone.

"So you are a Cadmus clone?" I ask for confirmation, and she nods, her short curls brushing her shoulders as she moves.

"Listen carefully. They could only create me if they neutralized the healing factor of your dna. So I only have your other abilities. They think my abilities are being inhibited by a collar, but you and I both know we can reprogram those when submitted to the right situations. It's only a matter of time before they figure out how to reactivate the gene. Once they do that, it's game over. But, I'm disrupting their systems as we speak. They think their scientists are idiots and making careless mistakes." She laughs with the last bit. I'm starting to like her, but this is all a lot to take in.

"How are you here?" I ask, but she just smiles like it's so simple.

"I'm not actually here. I've been testing this for a while, so I'm sorry if I've been disturbing you. But, I'm projecting my consciousness through the grid, and I have the confirmed theory that we can communicate telepathically the same way we talk to machines. Our two frequencies are compatible for telepathic communication with each other. In other words, you are the only who can see me in this moment." She explains. This is amazing and I don't really know what to feel about the situation.

"So If I tried, I could see what you see?" I ask and she nods. I focus, like I'm trying to look into her mind as if it were a mechanism. I feel my consciousness move hundreds of miles until I'm standing in a room, all white and pristine with everything a girl could need aside from technology. It's my old room from when Cadmus had me. It would make sense to keep another _me_ in here. I look over and see her sitting on the bed, all white scrubs and her short curls pulled back into a little ponytail. The door opens and she pretends I'm not here. They can't see me so I just stand there. To my surprise, it's Doctor Desmond. He's supposed to be in Belle Reve, and on Blockbuster serum.

"Hello Doctor, I hear your treatment is going well. Is Veronica's blood supply going to last to the end of the treatment?" The clone asks, as knowing that I was going to be curious about this.

"That is none of your business. I'm just here to take another sample of your dna." He huffs, opening a bag and setting up a blood back and a tube. He sticks the needle in her arm and lets gravity do the rest.

"So, they have you doing menial labor now?" She laughs, I would have done the exact same thing.

"I have nothing to complain about. At least I'm not locked up like you, you little lab rat." He snaps at her. She glares at him dead in the eye, and pulls out the needle from her arm. Before he can put it back, she throws it like a dart and pierces his cheek.

"What did I say about call me a rat!" She shouts at him. He pulls out the needle and goes to backhand her, but she dodges and gives him a nice kick to the jaw.

"They gave me all of her memories, that includes training, dipshit. Now, you will call me by _my name_, or they can send in another scientist after I inflict enough pain to make you scream like a child." She threatens. I definitely like her now. She has all the courage normally that I only have when I put on the mask.

"Fine. _Leigh_, give me your arm so I can finish taking the sample." He gives up of trying to keep her in her place. She has completely defeated him emotionally. This girl is going places. When Desmond leaves, she looks to me.

"Just because I stay here, doesn't mean I'm trapped or oppressed. I'll gladly stay if it means messing with their entire operation." She smirks.

"I'm jealous, you pull off badass better than I do." I laugh, she smiles.

"At least now I have someone to talk to that isn't an intern." Leigh seems really happy that I'm here.

"I have to get back, but you can pop in my head anytime you want. Just not when I'm do something unsavory, okay?" I look at her. She seems just content with just the little conversation that we are having.

"Okay, and don't tell Batman about me yet. Because I am you, he will want to rescue me from Cadmus, but I don't need rescuing. I just need to stop Cadmus." Leigh really seems to want to keep this under wraps.

"Alright, I will. And when the time comes, I will gladly help you bring Cadmus to it's knees." I promise her. She smiles and my surroundings melt away, leaving me standing in the maintenance hallway of the furniture store. I've found everything I need for today, so I leave the store and get in my car. But I don't start the engine just yet. I have to stop and think about everything I just learned. Leigh is my clone, and it's a strange thought, but it's kind of nice. I don't even feel like she's a clone, but a twin or a sister that I have this desire to take care of. But right now, taking care of her is making sure her cover in Cadmus isn't blown. She's the best shot I have at Luthor and the Light. We are making absolutely no progress with the Light or their intentions. They are just too good at keeping things off the record. So, I take a breath, start the car, and drive home.


	35. Chapter 35

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Cambridge, Massachusetts **

**Tuesday, August 11th, 2012**

The condo seems a lot bigger now that everything is here. I finally unpacked the last box a few hours ago and I finally feel settled in after a month. Classes are starting soon so I'm brushing up on my studies while the news plays in the background. I hear something interesting so I will the volume to turn up.

"This just in. I'm Cat Grant and I'm at the scene of the battle where Captain, Sergeant and Lieutenant Marvels are fighting Black Adam. It seems that they are beginning to overwhelm the villain…" The newscaster continues as I block out her voice, just looking at Billy, Mary and Freddy in their Shazam forms. Pretty soon, Mary and Freddy are going to join the team. Too bad I won't be around much to help train them. I made a deal with the League. They can only call upon me for help in an absolute emergency so as to ensure I complete my intensive college program. I turn off the tv ad sit for a moment. I'm not really sure what to do now that I'm here. Only thing to do until school starts is to study and even my patience for that is wearing thin. But there is one thing I can do that never ceases to lack importance. I go to my room and sit on my bed, focusing hard on the task at hand. I feel my mind push through circuitry, traveling hundreds of miles in seconds. Soon, I find myself in the bedroom as Cadmus where they _keep_ Leigh. She's wearing a little thin now-a-days. The tests are taking a toll on her.

"Is it getting worse?" I ask as I notice her waking up from her sleep. She sits up and blinks for a moment, trying to wake up a little faster.

"Nothing I can't handle." She says quietly before running her fingers through her short blonde curls.

"You know I could trade places with you. If I had the collar inhibit my regeneration, they wouldn't know the difference." I offer, but she shakes her head.

"No, I have to do this. You need to start college." She sighs, pulling her shoulder length hair back into a little ponytail. I'm going to take no for an answer.

"That's thing. You are just as smart as I am. I could get a haircut before we switch, then they won't have any doubt that it's not you. It's not like you have to spend much time with anyone and Roy already knows about you, so he can help out with making sure no one knows it's you. This way, you can get a much needed break to recover and gain your own experiences in the outside world." I try to make her see what a good idea it is.

"But when we switch back, you'll have missed out on enough for someone to realise that something's up. There is no way I'm letting you do this." She holds her ground with me. There's nothing I can do, knowing how stubborn I am with arguments with Roy and others. Multiply that by two and it's an endless argument.

"Fine, but I am going to alter the care schedule for you. You're going to get more food on a regular basis. You're getting a little thin." I tell her and I focus and begin rewriting the code of the database in order to change the schedule. I can't just sit by and watch her deteriorate.

"That's all I'm going to let you do." She sighs, getting up and stretching. The hem of her shirt comes up a bit and I see the extreme detailed of her hip bones. I feel horrible that she's doing this.

"Why can't you just let me break you out of this place? What you are doing is admirable and I don't know how I could ever thank you enough, but you don't have to do this. I want to bring you home." I try to sway her on the subject as I see her sunken eyes and bony cheeks. I really would like to help her. I can't see her like this any longer, being quite possibly the closest thing I have to real family besides Bruce, Dick, Tim, and Roy. She's my sister.

"I understand your willingness to terminate this, but you know how important my position is. they've been dropping little bits of information at random points as well as my ability to sabotage their every move to succeed in completing the cloning process of your abilities." She looks at me, almost like she is using her current state as proof of her commitment to the cause, to implore me to let it go and let her continue her self-assigned mission.

"I will do everything in my power to help you." I promise her, making her smile as she looks around the room.

"I know, but don't worry about me. Just remember that they won't let me die. I'm the only specimen they succeeded in creating. If I die, they are back to square one." She says with a little laugh, but I don't find it amusing and she is taking notice. "Fine, let me make you a promise. In a month, I promise to be either completely recovered and be back at a normal level of health, or at least close to it. Okay?" She is trying to compromise. As much as I don't want to say it, and as much as I was to save her from this place, I relinquish my argument.

"Okay, but if you aren't, I'm taking you out of here and taking you far away from Cadmus, a place where they will never find you." I swear to her and she just nods. There is a moment of silence and I notice her chuckle under her breath. "What?" I ask her, and she looks up at me with her dulling blue eyes.

"You are protective of me and see me as family, and all Connor got was a awkward excuse for dna source. I'm just happy that I have a sister, despite the method of my creation." She smiles, looking down to the floor.

"I'm glad you see it that way too." I say as the door suddenly opens to a scientist with a wheelchair and a prep kit. "Do you want me to stay with you for this?" I ask, knowing that the Scientist can't hear me.

_Just go. I'll visit you when I wake up._ She makes a small smile in my directing, but her eyes don't leave the floor. I fade out as she sits down in the chair and begins the sedation process. The white walls disappear and are replaced with pale yellow ones. I feel my bed beneath me and see the thin white curtains on the windows billowing slightly as the cool summer breeze finds its way in. Before I can begin stressing about Leigh and her situation, there is a knock at the door. I get up and make my way to the front hall where I check the peep hole to see who it is. All I see is a bouquet of Lilies. I open the door.

"Delivery for a Miss Veronica Grey." I recognize the voice. He lowers the bouquet and I see Roy. His red hair perfect and his fathomless blue eyes draw me in.

"Why thank you, Mister Harper." I gently grab the collar of his shirt and pull him down into a kiss as we slowly walk inside the apartment. I kick past him with my foot and close the door, willing it to lock as we release from our welcoming embrace.

"How is everything going?" He asks as the two of us enter the kitchen.

"Pretty good. I talked to Jason and Dick this morning. The two of them are going to do their mantle hand-off pretty soon and it's not much of my business but Dick and Zatanna decided to take a break." I tell him as I reach into the pantry and pull out our unfinished box of tagalong girl scout cookies. We start eating the savory chocolate and peanut butter cookies as the conversation ensues.

"Really? After Just about two years they decide to do it now?" Roy nearly starts laughing. The two of us thought they were a pretty cute couple.

"Well if I heard correctly, they decided they worked better as friends because of the line of work they're in."

"That's good i guess. I'm glad we don't have that problem." Roy grins, but I just give him a deadpan look.

"You don't worry about me because I can't get hurt, but I worry about you." I tell him, and he gets quiet for a moment, smirking at me.

"So, does Dick have the costume yet?" Roy asks just before biting into his fourth or fifth cookie.

"Yeah, it's a dark grey everywhere but his core. There are shoulder pads bet not to big to limit his acrobatics and there is a blue bird emblem on his chest." I describe the suit as I hop up on the counter, my feet now dangling above the floor.

"That's cool, I'll be happy to do duo ops with him, anytime." Roy smiles at the fact that Dick is finally getting to strike off on his own.

"Yeah, but Bludhaven is a whole different ballgame from Gotham." I suddenly begin to worry about my pseudo little brother.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine and you know it." Roy comes up to me, standing between my legs against the counter, his hand running through my hair.

"You're right, and it's not like he's going to move there permanently until he's eighteen and Jason is more that ready to take on the mantle of Robin." I say, mostly for myself to I can hear the words and relax. But I suddenly begin to think about Leigh and her deteriorating health. So many siblings, so much distance.

"You're still stressing, and I have a feeling it has nothing to do with your brothers." He gently tilts up my chin like he's trying to get a better look through my eyes to my soul, but he's not going to find his answers there.

"I don't want to talk about it." I just give the short little sentence and he is taken aback.

"It's Leigh, isn't it." He guesses in a quiet voice. I nod my head.

"She's getting really thin, Roy. I feel like she's slipping away but she insists that she'll be okay." I start stressing out more, my hands trembling and my eyes watering. But Roy knows exactly what to do. His hands hold my face, one moving back to push a tendril of blonde from my face.

"You need to take your mind off it, even if it's only for a few moments." He says in a hushed tone, his body creeping towards mine, closing the gap. My body immediately responds to his, reaching out to his shoulders and pulling him into me. My fingers find hold in his hair as he kisses my neck, his hand slipping the straps of my bra and tank top down my shoulder. I respond with a shudder of joy. My legs wrap around his waist and I pull him off my neck, the two of us falling into a mind numbing kiss that makes my mind run blank. I pull back to take his shirt off and he responds by pulling off my tank top. His chest against mine is warm and the summer humidity is causing us to stick together a little. His hands find their way to my shorts and I let them pull them off. I will his zipper to undo itself as I unbutton his pants, pulling them down. We are just like this for a moment until things get a little intense and the two of us slow down, taking in the moment to remember. I feel his hand on the small of my back and I look into his eyes, pushing every thought I have aside.

"We're in the kitchen." I get out between kisses.

"Yes, we are." He replies as I lean back on the counter.


	36. Chapter 36

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**LexCorp HQ, Metropolis**

**Saturday, December 28th, 2012**

The building seems so nice and less intimidating than Wayne Enterprises in Gotham, but some of the things that happen in this building and the company's subsidiaries are unspeakable and infuriating. The penthouse floor outside Luthor's office is a pristine and worker friendly environment, but I know exactly who is on the other side of those double doors. I see the intern at the front desk stand up and rest one hand on the door handle. She's different from Mercy Graves, her hair a glossy black, straightened to perfection with a duet of bobby pins keeping her hair out of her eyes. Her pantsuit is perfect, not a single wrinkle or blemish anywhere, almost like she isn't real.

"Mr. Luthor will see you now." she says warmly with a smile. She probably has no idea who he _really_ is. I get up and give her a smile to be polite, but as soon as I pass her and enter the office, my face turns dark, into a deeply set sneering scowl.

"Veronica, what do I owe the pleasure?" Luthor smiles as I stand before him. He seems so relaxed and in control at the helm of his company.

"I know, it's lovely that I came to you for once, but if you try anything, I will level the building." I give a convincing but hollow threat, lifting my hand and the building groaning. As much as I would never demolish a building full of people, it would be too easy with the entire skeleton of the structure consisting of metal beams, rods, nuts and bolts.

"Let's not be too hasty, now, what can I do for you?" He asks. I'm sure he's worried about his well being but he remains cool and collected on the outside.

"I know about my clone, the one that calls herself Leigh. I know that the tests to make her like me, took such a toll that she is currently on life support." I try to say without my voice cracking or my eyes watering. I can't seem overly informed or else this may not work. But Leigh needs me, regardless of her current ability to say so.

"And?" He asks like it's nothing, just another failing project.

"I want you to relinquish her into my custody, _alive_. I will care for her and nurse her back to health. I've reviewed all of your research and you are no where near succeeding and I highly doubt you ever will. She was an anomaly in the first place, don't push your luck." I speak with a cold and harsh tone, absolutely infuriated at the situation.

"Is that it?" He raises an eyebrow, wrinkling his forehead. "I decli-" He is about to reject me but I cut him off with another tremor running through the building, the walls creaking and groaning. A metal rod bursts out of the wall and finds itself three inches from his knows, the jagged edges primed to impale, but it's just a threat, nothing more. "Where do you want her moved to?" He asks nervously.

"That is none of your concern. I just want her ready for transport, I'll take care of the rest." I bark at him. It's a nice feeling, seeing the beads of sweat forming on his brow.

"No problem. I'll make the call now." He reaches for the phone, his hand on the verge of trembling uncontrollably.

"I have one more request." I push the jagged metal to his throat, so much so that it almost punctures. "I want to know what happened during the siege. I want to know about Rimbor." I enunciate every syllable, trying to make him even more intimidated.

"It's not my place to tell you about what happened on Rimbor." He just sneers at me, holding his ground. So it's some sort of ship or planet since it was an off world mission.

"Give me the information I asked for and I will leave you alone." I snap in an angry voice. He leans back in his chair and reaches into a drawer in his desk, out comes a fat manilla folder.

"Take it and the clone, and leave." He squints at me as I grab the folder and stick it in my back. The jagged metal rod stays against his thought until I've left the premises.

* * *

**The Batcave**

"I know this is unexpected and I'm sorry I never told you about her, but she's here and this is the safest I can keep her." I try speaking to Bruce calmly but It's just not happening. Leigh is currently being given a blood transfusion to speed up the process of her recovery. She looks like she's dying, hooked up to machines that are keeping her alive in the hospital bed that I managed to get into the Batcave.

"Just calm down. I can understand why you wanted to keep her a secret. No matter who you told, there would have been a chance of the position being compromised." He says out of no where, making me realize that he isn't as angry as I was making him out to be. I can't stop looking at Leigh, her eyes defined by dark circles and her protruding cheek bones. I can just barely make out the stitches in her hairline from the most recent procedure of a craniotomy.

"So you're not mad?" I ask, sort of confused. Out of no where, I see her purple, almost blue lips begin to redden, finding it's way back to it's natural pink. The tips of her fingers twitching a little bit. I hear the sounds on the monitors fluctuations as her vitals increase, improving every second.

"No. I'm actually more relieved that you were willing to help her, unlike Superman's reaction to Superboy." He makes the quick comparison. His hand touches my shoulder as I look down to the ground and take a deep breath. But the moment of silence is rendered irrelevant when I hear sputtering coming from Leigh. She's having a panic attack, eyes wide open and grabbing for something secure but not finding anything. I run to her side, pushing back her hair to check the dilation of her pupils and looking at the monitor to check her numbers.

"Hey, I'm here. It's okay." I reassure her. She ceases her thrashing but her eyes are still wandering around the cave nervously and her breathing remains frantic. "I had you removed from Cadmus, you're safe. No more tests, okay?" I try to get her to acknowledge her situation. She nods, unable to speak with the ventilator tube down her throat. "Now hold still." I say before I slowly remove the tube from her esophagus. Her breathing steadies as I notice the color return to her skin and her muscles regaining the original size and shape from before her deterioration.

"What about Luthor? Won't Cadmus come looking for me?" Leigh rasps. She really must be afraid if that's the first thing she wants to say the first time she's outside of Cadmus. Her blue eyes are absolutely wild in this moment, flitting around and trying to take in everything around her.

"Luthor and I made a deal. I get you and LexCorp doesn't collapse." I smirk, picking up a tray of food and offering it to her. She smiles and takes it, setting it on her laugh as she eats her meal. She really has never had real, natural food in the entirety of her short life.

"Then what do I do now? I don't have a purpose anymore." She looks down, slowing down her eating to think properly. Bruce and I exchange looks briefly worried about her. But I know exactly what to say.

"You're purpose is whatever you want it to be now." I tell her and she nearly chokes on her food. "But before you find your purpose, we need to take you to a safe house I secured earlier in the week. Okay?" I ask her and she sits up slowly, testing her movement.

"Okay." She nods as she stands up. She's still a little on the skinny side but she doesn't look like she's knocking on death's door anymore. I grab a duffle I packed for this event and had it to her.

"The outfit on top is for traveling. We need to get going soon in case they actually do want to get you back." I tell her as she opens the bag. I guess my memories served her well because she grabs the bag and slips behind one of the changing curtains. I walk over to Bruce and pull him aside to make sure Leigh is out of earshot.

"I know this is really complicated and I made a stupid mistake to threaten Lex Luthor, but I got the file, I go the missing sixteen hours." I rush to tell him as I pull the file out of my bag and hand it to him. He opens the manilla folder and begins reading. I don't really know what to make of the next few moments of silence, but when he looks back up at me again, he looks shocked. I haven't seen this facial expression since the first time he came up to say good morning, only to find Roy in my bed.

"Ronnie, this is…" He is at a loss for words. I haven't even read the file in respect for the League and now I really wish I read it. "I have to take this to the League, the Lanterns will be able to take this file to the Guardians and find out where exactly this planet is." He seems horrified.

"What if this isn't enough? What if there is more to the story and we blindly share this information?" I start to panic, but Leigh comes out in a fresh pair of jeans and a t-shirt with a baseball cap pulled down to cover her face.

"So, where are we going?" Leigh asks as Bruce leans close in my ear.

"I'll safeguard this information for now. Just make sure she is taken care of." Bruce lets the two of us go. I take her through the zeta tube and the two of us find ourselves in Miami, Florida.

"Why here?" She looks around at the bustling people as we emerge from the alleyway.

"I thought you would like somewhere beautiful with a lot of people." I give her a smile as she follows me down the street. There's a really nice apartment building right on the beach, surrounded by resort hotel buildings. She seems amazed as the two of us go inside. I didn't have time to find her something more luxurious, as much as she deserves it, but we get off the elevator at the fifth floor. I unlock the door and hand her the key as she enters the little apartment that faces out to the ocean.

"How did you manage this?" She is awestruck as she looks around. It's all white and pale yellow colors on the walls and on the furniture. The whole place is immaculate and the bed is probably more plush and extravagant than she's ever experienced. I just wanted her to be comfortable after her harsh experiences.

"You know things like this come easy for technopaths like us." I smile and she seems impressed as she drops the duffle bag and checks to kitchen, pulling out all the favorite food I knew she would want.

"Tiptoeing on the dark side… and there are cookies!" She gets extremely excited as she sees the box of tagalong girl scout cookies. I'm sure she's never had one before but has dreamed of them since she has my memories. They are my favorite as well. I feel so happy just watching her indulge herself for the first time in her life.

"It's not the darkside, I'm protecting you from the bad people." I correct her as she takes all of the food out of the balcony. From the way she is breathing, she is taking in the smell of the ocean. I understand how one can find it as one of the best smells in the world. She looks so happy, eating her food in the sunshine with her short, blonde curls billowing in the wind.


	37. Chapter 37

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**The Cave**

**Wednesday, April 10th, 2013**

Leigh and I are sitting on the couch in the living room area of the cave, watching tv and sharing a tub of cookie dough icecream. Recently, she moved in here so she could get a jump on her own hero thing. Since I'm Tesla, she's decided to become Cation, the next magnetic hero. Long story short of the explanation, all metals are cations and non-metals are anions. There are a few other members of the team hanging around, like Troia, Artemis, M'gann, Conner, all three Atlanteans and Jason. Funny thing about Jason, he seems so antisocial and aggravated with the world until someone actually includes him in what they're doing. I just wish he would act like the ten year old he is now, not the twenty year old he tries so hard to be.

"It's still crazy seeing the two of you in the same room." Jason laughs, looking at the two of us eating our ice cream. Leigh laughs and runs a hand through her short hair, her current impulse weaving through her fingers. She went out a week or two ago and got little blue streaks throughout all of her hair. I didn't like it at first but it's growing on me… Not that I'd ever dye my hair unless it was for a mission.

"I just love that the two of us are actually in the same room together. I know it's been awhile since she left Cadmus but we spent almost a year being able to see and hear each other, but not actually being there together. She's getting along with the rest of the team quite nicely. She and Connor are getting pretty close since the two of them had a bad Cadmus experience.

"If we're saying things that shock us, I think it's your telepathic link to each other." M'gann adds, Connor chuckling under his breath as he wraps his hands around her waist. She releases a quiet giggle at his touch.

"You don't see many twins in Atlantis. The ones that you do are usually fraternal due to the wide genetic variety of the parents." Garth comments, awkwardly staring at Leigh and I. He and Leigh are becoming fast friends. It's nice to see her get acclimated to the group.

"It's kinda cool. It's like the two of you are mirrors of eachother." Tula smiles, suddenly linking her hand with Garth's, forcing him to draw his attention to her and off of us.

"If you think that's cool, I'm _literally_ the mirror of Wonder Woman." Troia smirks and we all laugh a little bit at that. The amazon is really beginning to come out of her shell, less off handish to everyone.

"_Team, report to the mission room_." We all hear Batman's voice over the intercom of the Cave. Everyone stops laugh and we all get up and suit up. Leigh and I stand together, her suit exactly like mine but with yellow designs instead of the blue that I have. But I'm still in my civvies. The plan is to leave after everyone is deployed, and get back to the college life. Today was just a little break. Kid Flash and Nightwing arrive via zeta tube after we are all assembled before the holo computer, looking at Batman, calling us from the Batmobile.

"The Marvels are tracking Black Adam so they are out. Currently, I'm on my way to Downtown Gotham. I'm calling all of you in to aid in the apprehension of three major Arkham patients. The three are Killer Croc, the Joker, and the Ventriloquist." He announces, everyone stiffening at the last on announced. She's been notorious for her handy work of how she leaves her crime scenes, her victims set up like puppets. It's been a year since he and I started the hunt for the rogue patients. Batman looks to me through the video feed. "Tesla, I'm going to need you to suit up on this as well. These are dangerous beings and the team needs all hands on deck since the League is investigating a time sensitive lead." Batman orders. I nod and mentally tune into the video feed while I go off and suit up.

"What exactly is the task at hand?" Kaldur asks as I pull on my suit, making sure everything is on the right way. I pull my hair into a ponytail as Batman begins informing us about the situation.

"It's a rampage. Killer Croc is dragging numerous people under ground, Joker is attacking everything in sight, but patterns suggest that he is actually looking for something. Ventriloquist is robbing a bank but now is not the time to go into detail of how she's maintaining the situation by herself. You all should know that she is an extremely powerful telekinetic. I'm on sight, Batman out." He informs us all as I put on my mask and step out to meet everyone else. Everyone looks to me.

"There isn't time to take the Bioship. Nightwing, Robin and I will take the lead. Nightwing, Superboy, Aqualad, Rocket, Tempest, and Artemis, you will take Killer Croc as Alpha. Robin, Rocket, Aquagirl, Beast Boy, and Arsenal will take Joker as Gamma. I will be taking Beta, consisting of Cation, Troia, Miss Martian, Zatanna, and Kid Flash to face Ventriloquist. Follow your team leaders, take the Zeta-Tube. Move out!" I order. I feel a little weird being leader, the one in charge. But I guess it's because this branches off of a mission I've been really close to in the past. We all head through the zeta-tube and one by one we all appear in Gotham. We all quickly divide into out squads and go our separate ways. I lead Beta to the bank where Ventriloquist is held up.

"Make one more move, Heroes, and these cops with go out with a _bang_." We hear come from the many voices of the Police officers standing outside of the Bank, but they are all afraid with their mouths shut.

"It's her, she's mimicking all of them at once." Leigh informs the rest of us. I devise a plan.

"Cation, jam the signal between the trigger and the bombs, then diffuse before following. Everyone else, follow me inside." I order and everyone acknowledges. We all charge the building. "Miss Martian." I look to the Martian and she nods.

_Psychic link established._ She speaks in all of our minds.

_Miss Martian, you are first line of defense. She's telekinetic so I need you to rival her just long enough for Troia to contain. I will subdue. Zatanna and Kid Flash, get everyone out. She's limited if there is no one around for her to puppeteer. _I tell them the plan. Everyone gets into position. M'gann charges first and begins to do her best to counteract the powerful female telekinetic across from her.

"Yawa Nur! Snaillivic!" Zatanna casts and those who aren't under Ventriloquist's control, immediately run out but have facial expressions indicating that they are afraid and they don't know why their bodies are running away. I see KF zipping around, taking those who are under the telekinetic control out of range so they can get away.

"You're just children! You'll all _love_ my Freddie!" She laughs maniacally, a little puppet coming out of nowhere and attacking Miss Martian. It looks like it just stepped out of a saw movie, same face and there are drills in his fingers. Miss Martian loses control as it attacks her, all she can do is send out a pulse of her telekinesis to get it off of her. All of the sudden, we all feel the telekinetic grip. My body positions itself like a puppet, hovering in the air as if I were actually on strings.

_Troia! Now!_ I command in the mental link. Before Ventriloquist could see her, she flew up to the ceiling. Now that I've ordered her attack, she flies down and tackles the psychopath, pinning her to the ground. My body drops and I run to Troia and the Ventriloquist. I plant my hands on either side of her skull and send a short pulse of electrical energy, overwhelming her nerves, knocking her out. The puppet drops on the ground, the drills in his hands shutting down. All of us relax for a moment, but the moment ceases when my comm goes off.

"The Joker found what he's been looking for. It's a dirty bomb. Cation and Tesla, we need you, now." Batman orders. I look to my twin and the two of us spring, pulling on magnetic fields and electrifying our limbs to push us faster and faster. But when we get there, the bomb only has seconds left. Batman has Joker in handcuffs, everyone already backed away, aside from Cation and I.

"Get out of here, I can handle this." I tell her.

"Let me help you!" She pleads, but time is running out and this is a delicate piece of machinery. One wrong move and I blow up half of Gotham and give the outer blast radius cancer from the radiation.

"Kid!" I scream and in a blur of yellow and red, Leigh is whisked away without a fight. I put my hands on the bomb, running my consciousness through the circuitry to find the best point of disconnection. I find the core and disconnect everything, but there is still backlash from the core melting down. I reach out and mentally command metal to rip from buildings and construct a dome around the bomb to protect everyone from the minimized blast. I struggle to keep it all together as the inside burns.

"Just hold on a little longer, Captain Atom is coming." I hear Batman's calm voice on my comm. The pain is growing as the temperature rises in my proximity from the dome. I'm losing my grip on the metal, each time it slips, the more I feel the heat of the radiation. But I can't let go. If I do, it releases the radiation to everyone. The next thing I know, I'm on the ground taking deep breaths as I look up at Captain Atom, glowing with the absorbed radiation. When the glow fades, he puts a hand out and I take it, him helping me up.

"You are one heck of a kid, Tesla. You just saved everyone." He says, his southern accent finding its way to the surface of his voice. I smile at him, still trying to catch my breath.

"Just doing my job." I smile as he shakes my hand. The two of us walk together, back to the team and Batman. Everyone relieved that today was successful.

* * *

**Cambridge**

Roy and I are laying together on my couch with the tv on in the background. It's so warm that I'm down to a sports bra and athletic shorts. Roy's light touch is tracing little designs on my bare back. I look up and see the light bounce off his copper hair and glow with the sunlight. His blue eyes are tired from his long day with the League.

"I heard from Dick that you diffused a dirty bomb today." He says quietly as I bury my face in his chest.

"Not big deal. It was a lot more important that we subdued all of the convicts and go them back to Arkham." I sigh, my voice muffled by his chest. He just laughs a little bit.

"Not a big deal? If you weren't there, a lot of people would have died." He reminds me, and I understand, but I'm trying to take a break from the hero life.

"I think Batman knew there was a dirty bomb, he specifically asked me to suit up on this one instead of letting Leigh take on my usual technopathic roles." I rationalize. I look up at Roy again and he strokes my cheek. There is a bit of silence for a while until Roy finally speaks up again.

"What would you say if I asked you to marry me?" He inquired with a completely serious face.

"Are you saying right now or in the future?" I ask, confused about this sudden wonder of his.

"Future." He clarifies. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Good, we are too young to get married now. If you ever ask me, ask after I graduate." I tell him and he smiles.

"So does that mean you would technically say yes if I asked at the right time?" He smiles, putting his forehead to mine.

"What do you think, Harper?" I smirk, leaning in to give him a little peck on the cheek.


	38. Chapter 38

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Gotham**

**Monday, December 2nd, 2013**

"Where is he, Harley?" I bark at the clown with my foot up on her neck, pinning her against a the brick wall of the alleyway. The brisk winter breeze is nipping at the back of my neck as I trap Harley. The blonde is smiling and laughing so hard that a tear falls from her eye, smearing her makeup that is disturbingly similar to her counterpart's. I'm seething with rage. I was all fine and dandy until I got a call on the middle of my physics class, saying that my little brother was missing. Only after I get to Gotham do I find out that it was the Joker.

"I don't know what you're talking about, darlin." She grins but press my foot further into her neck, forcing her to sputter a little bit.

"That's not good enough, Clown. I need answers!" I drop my foot and punch her in the stomach. She keels over and gets on her hands and feet, trying to catch her breath.

"Mista Jay never said anything about the bat brat." She looks at me, still grinning like an idiot. Anger burns through my core, she's ruining her chances of walking away without any major injuries. I kick her rib cage as her as I can, sending her sprawling out on the ground. There is a distinct few cracks as she rolls to face up, trying the breath through the pain I'm inflicting.

"Tesla, that is enough." Bruce puts a hand on my shoulder, but I send electricity through it. Now is not the time to try and stop me when such an urgent task is at hand.

"No, I need an answer and what I've gotten so far isn't good enough!" I shout, electrocuting Harley in the process. She lets out a shrill scream and begins to gasp for air through the burning pain.

"I swear I don't know anything!" She pleads, but I give her another jolt and she begins to sing like a canary. "Okay! All I know is that he's at one of our hideouts. One in the stockyard, one by the docks, another in the crime district. All are warehouses." She relinquishes the information quickly in a single breath. I walk away from her with the newfound information, Batman trailing at my heels. Snow begins to fall around us with heavy flakes. The two of us get in the Batmobile and the minute the door closes, Batman looks to me.

"You were out of line. That interrogation was over excessive." He says in an aggravated but collected tone. I'm biting back my anger, but it's not the dry and serious kind.

"I was out of line? I know you're doing everything but we need to break a few rules if we want to get Jason back." I rationalize as my eyes water, forcing me to fight back the tears. My little brother has barely had a life, and now he's in the hands of our worst enemy. I could lose him.

"I understand, and we have our answers now so let's just put it in the past and find him." He is being extremely patient with me. He knows that when it comes to family, I have no boundaries. I will do anything to protect who I love. So, I focus and check all security footage around the warehouses that Harley relinquished the information to. Three matching the locations had a black sudan pull inside simultaneously, but you can't see inside and there are no cameras within the warehouses. How convenient.

"Alright, let's go investigate. Start at the docs, it's the closest to us currently." I decide. He nods and races down the street. After a few sharp turns and dodging some traffic, we make it to the warehouse by the docks. I burst through the door, electrified and ready to rip the building apart, but I'm only attacked by Joker's goons. Batman and I take them all out and move on to the next location. The snow is beginning to pack onto the ground, making it a little harder to maneuver the roads to find my little brother. Next thing I know, we are pulling up to the crime district. When we get there, the goons there seem more interested in speaking.

"You won't make it, even if you leave now." The one at the head taunts, his mime mask on slightly crooked.

"You're boss is really in for it this time." I bark at them. I look to Batman and the two of us have a moment of mental understanding. He disappears and returns to the Batmobile without me. I'll handle the convicts and rejects here while he rescues Jason.

"I don't think so. But in the time being, we want to have a little fun with you." I hear his voice turn dark and sadistic. His intentions are far from what I thought they would be when I entered the warehouse. But now is not the time to address those intentions. Now is the time to take all of them out.

"I don't think you are going to have much fun." I smirk as I take a stance. There are six of them and one of me. I supercharge myself and attack. Frying each of them individually is easy, but making sure these nut jobs go down is a lot harder. They must have gone through an extreme training to be able to withstand high levels of electricity. I increase the wattage as I bounce between the six of the well built men.

"I think I'm enjoying myself." One of them laughs as they land a blow to my back. This is too trivial. I allow of the energy I can muster to build up. As soon as it's ready, I release all of it in a shock wave. They all flatten out on the ground as I run away from the scene. The stock yard isn't far, I have a chance. But before I can make the end of the block, I hear it. The explosion that makes me stop in my tracks. I could almost swear that my heart stood still in those few seconds that I see the black column of smoke rise from behind the building. My first instinct is to run in the direction of the explosion. All of the scenarios run through my head. One, Batman could have made it, saved Jason. Two, Jason got out on his own. Three, The Joker never actually had him. Four, he's dead and I'm about to have my heart ripped out of my chest for the third time in my life.

I know running is just a normal motion, but my limbs feel like cement and it's getting harder to breath as my eyes well up. Six block away. The smoke suggest the whole warehouse exploded, but maybe there was a safe place to hide, to be protected from the heat and fire of the explosion. Five blocks away. I'm going to find him with Batman, getting into the Batmobile, all happy to see his big sister. Four block away. He's going to be fine, I shouldn't worry so much. Three blocks away. I'm in denial. Two blocks away. He has to be fine, I know he just has to be. One block away. My chest feels like it's empty and cold, but my pulse is ringing in my ears. I get there and see the fire. But in a small clearing of smoking debris, I see them. My mentor, my adoptive father, at his knees. I see Jason and everything stops. He's badly burned and there is no distinct rise and fall of his chest the way it should in someone that has been through a traumatic accident. He is completely limp in Batman's arms. I stumble as everything is drowned out by the pain. My heart feels like it's crumbling to dust, but I run to him, kneeling by his side as the tears begin to finally fall, after all of this time.

"Please don't leave me." I whisper and my hand rests on his chest. "I don't want to lose you too." I sob. I don't care if anyone can see me, I just let it all out without warning. I feel the energy in my hands, the idea coming to mind despite the hopelessness. I pound my electrified fist on his chest, trying to defibrillate him, as if there is a chance. "Please don't go." I struggle to say between sobs and gasping for the air that I can't get into my lungs in the first place.

"Tesla." Batman says my name but I hit Jason's chest again. "Ronnie, he's gone." Batman admits, completely stone cold. I pull away from the two of them and curl up into a ball. I can't handle it. Not again. He was so young, never went on his first date, never got to leave his mantle of Robin behind just as Dick did. He's just gone and I can't do anything about it. The two of us sit there with his body, only the sound of my sobs hanging in the air. I keep looking at Jason's face, and despite the burns, I can see distinct splits in his lower lip. There are bruises that arrived quickly and had swelled from the time they were inflicted until he died. A few of his ribs are protruding beneath his skin. The most distinct mark is in a curved shape, like that of the side of a crow bar.

"He's gone." I finally say it, pulling myself out of that place of denial. He was in pain when he died. He was beaten the bloody pulp, but the blast must have given him a quick escape from the blast. Batman stands up with Jason's body in his hands. I stand up as well, knowing what we have to do next.

"Let's take him home." He says quietly. I follow him to the Batmobile and we drive. Just driving at any other speed. The urgency is gone and now we have nothing to do but mourn. When the Batmobile finally pulls into the Batcave, we see Dick and Alfred, waiting to see what came of the situation. But when my eye's meet with Dick's, his face turns dark. Alfred doesn't say a word, remaining completely composed, but a sullen look looming in his eyes. I go into my area and change into my civvies, but when I come out, Jason is on a table.

"Ronnie, you should go home, get back to school. We can handle everything from here." Batman says, but I don't want to go anywhere. I just want to stay with Jason. Dick comes up to me and puts his hand on my shoulder, trying to have a smile to comfort me as I continue to sob and struggle to breath.

"Hey, we can handle everything else. Just go home and we'll call if we need you." He says, but it just aggravates me.

"You're just sending me away at a time like this?!" I nearly shout, the lights flickering and my skin glowing with energy. I stop and retract myself. "Oh. I need to calm down." I realize, moving towards the zeta tube. "But I'm not going home." I tell them as I teleport away.

**The Cave**

There are a few people training in the mission room. Makes sense since it's the middle of the day. I check the log to see who's here and send out a message to all who aren't. I walk towards the kitchen, only to be stopped my Zatanna along the way. She seemed so relaxed, her blue eyes serene but they became worried when she saw my face.

"Ronnie? What's wrong?" Zatanna asks, getting really close. I don't know if I want her that close to me at the moment, but I have to tell her.

"He's dead." I say in a low, quiet tone. "I contacted everyone to tell them. Jason is dead." I say almost like a question, trying to deny it once again, but I know it's true. She's silent, her eyes are watering but she keeps it together. Before I know it, she's hugging me tightly. I try to breath but it just keeps getting caught in my throat.

"Why don't we sit down while we wait for everyone to arrive?" Zatanna reasons with me, putting her arms around my shoulders and takes me to sit down at the table. I know my eyes are read and puffy and I know I'm a complete mess, going to break down at any moment. But I'm keeping it together the best I can. I have to tell them. He was their teammate too. Soon, people are arriving, all worried about what I'm going to say and when they are all finally in the room before me, I'm having trouble getting the words out. They all look at my face and fear the words that are about to roll out of my mouth.

"Earlier t-today, the Joker h-had taken Jason. We were out searching for him for a whole of six hours. Wh-when we finally found him, he had marks on his body that suggested that he was warehouse we found him in, i-it was r-rigged." I have to stop for a moment, the sobbing and hyperventilating taking over me again. But I have to finish it, they deserve to know what happened. "He died in the explosion." I finally get out the last bit. Through my tears, I can see M'gann breaking down. I can see Rocket lean up against the wall before sliding down and holding her head, trying to comprehend the information presented to her. Artemis and Wally are quiet, looking at the floor, hand in hand. Connor is bewildered, absolutely shocked that his friend is gone. Troia shares something similar to Connor, but she was a little more involved. She and Jason had gotten along pretty well. Tula and Garth look remorseful, but the two of them weren't close with Jason at all. Just the minimal relationship required to be on a team with someone. Sergeant and Lieutenant Marvels are hanging really close to eachother. I know they're probably a lot younger, like Billy, but no one has asked them to reveal their secret identities yet. Kaldur is standing against the wall, either contemplating existence or that fact that he's probably a lot more worried about my well being than the fact that Jason is dead. He has this thing where he tries not to dwell in the past. I respect it, considering. Leigh sits down next to me, crying just about as hard as I am. She helps, but it's still not enough. I'm deteriorating. Bruce and Dick are doing whatever they're doing and they don't need me because I am the opposite of useful when I'm upset. My little brother is gone, and I feel empty. It's just happening all over again, and I can't go with them. I have no real shot at ever seeing any of them in any sort of afterlife there could possibly be. They are just gone, and they took my heart with them.


	39. Chapter 39

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Harvard University**

**Wednesday, May 28th, 2014**

It's graduation day. Sure, I'm happy. I'm the youngest in the graduating class, twenty years old and a woman, and I most likely had a faster college experience that anyone else due to my uncanny ability to multitask, day and night. That's impressive enough for the boards of engineering companies in this day and age. But there a few things missing. I'm at this point of my life, and my parents aren't here to see me make it and the one person I really wanted to be here, can't be. But I can still visit his plot in Gotham. Leigh, I wanted her to come but she reminded me that if people saw her, they would ask questions and since she technically doesn't exist on the record, those questions would be bad.

Well, I've already gone through the graduation procession. All there is left is to return to Bruce, Dick and Alfred with my diploma in hand. The family still feels like we're missing something, even after five months. But we get by and right know, Bruce is actually smiling. Alfred's arms open for a hug and I meet him in the embrace. Dick and Bruce are standing, shoulder to shoulder, perfectly primped in their suits.

"I'm so proud of you, Miss Grey." Alfred says in his usual, calm and collected tone. He releases me and I walk up to Bruce and Dick, my cap and diploma in hand, my nervous hands trying to grab at my graduation gown.

"Ready to go to dinner?" Bruce asks with a grin. This one doesn't seem forced one bit. He's actually happy. Dick on the other hand, is just wary of me. He looks me in the eye and with just that one look, he knows I'm getting down on myself despite this special day.

"Please say yes, I'm so hungry." Dick pleads with his big eyes. I can't help but laugh at this, at his immediate hunger. But something else is tugging at me. The fourth absence.

"Yeah, we can go." I smile as we being to make our way back to the car. I slow down and get closer to Bruce. He leans down to hear what I have to say. "Where's Roy?" I ask, curious about the absence of my boyfriend on this special day.

"League Business. Green Arrow called for backup in Star City, Roy answered the call since most Leaguers are still trying to find answers about Rimbor. But he'll still make it to dinner." Bruce lets me know in a hushed tone. I just nod and move forward to walk with Dick. I start unzipping and taking off my graduation gown as we enter the parking lot, revealing the fitted, white lace dress that was beneath it. Just as I finish folding up the gown, Alfred unlocks the car and opens the door for me. I climb in as the other two get in, Alfred turning the ignition. Lucky for Dick and his obscene appetite, the drive is short. The restaurant is only a few blocks from campus. We all get out and go inside. The place is rather nice, the crystal chandeliers and pristine tables everywhere as people move about eating their food and making their orders. I'd honestly be okay with grabbing a pizza and going to Gotham, I have something I need to do there, but I put on a smile and enjoy the time I get to spend with my family. So, we all sit down at a table by the window and start looking at the menus.

"I was going to wait until dessert to bring this up, but now seems like a good time. We can talk about it over dinner." Bruce begins and I get nervous. He could say anything and most of the things he could say are bad news, especially the things that need to be talked about.

"What is it?" I ask with held back caution, so as to stay calm. I think Bruce detects my wariness, because he laughs.

"I've spoken with the board. They disregarded the notion that I have favoritism towards you because I was your legal guardian for a time, and they've come to a conclusion that we would like you to return to Wayne Tech, to continue your research and to begin any other projects that you'd like to pursue, in our facilities. This time you won't be a student." He informs me with pride.

"Then what will I be at Wayne Tech?" I'm happy about this but I'm confused at what position I'd be taking. Would I just be a normal scientist or something?

"Veronica Grey," Bruce sounds like he's presenting a grand prize. It's weird when he does this. "The board and I have agreed that you are the smartest person to ever walk through those doors at Wayne Tech. We would like to offer you the position of the head of our subsidiary." He tells me. I can't believe what I'm hearing.

"Oh my god." I look at him with a completely shocked expression.

"If you take the positio-" He starts but I cut him off.

"Hell yeah I'm taking the position." I tell him and he smiles, putting his hand up to quiet me so he can continue.

"If you take the position, you'll have a representative on the board and in time, you'll take over that position as well." He tells me and I'm in awe. The smile on my face could not get any bigger.

"One hell of a day, huh?" I lean back in my chair, thinking about everything. I've been so stressed out today, from the fear of tripping in the concession line to the strain of not having my parents or Jason here. But it's getting better. It immediately leaps to relaxing when I look over at the door and I see a familiar red head in a suit. When he takes the chair next to me to sit down, I immediately relax.

"Sorry I'm so late, I'm sure you were told why." Roy kisses me on the cheek before he pulls out a menu and looks to order. We just have to get through this dinner and I have just one more thing I need to do in Gotham today.

* * *

**Wayne Manor, Private Cemetery**

"You sure?" Roy asks me as he stands between me and the house. I nodd.

"Just go inside with Dick, I'm fine." I tell him and he comes closer, giving me a short kiss before he does as I told him. I turn and face the three grave stones. Two of them are much larger than the third. But they are not the ones I came for. Despite my dress, I sit down in front of the smaller grave stone. This one is directly in the shade of the maple tree planted beside it.

"I graduated today." I speak the the headstone. "It was really nice, but I wish you were there. But I made sure I came back to tell you all about my day." I smile, but now that I'm actually here, talking to him like I don't often do, my eyes are watering. "I'm staying in Gotham, so maybe I can still visit you now and again, but I might be really busy at my new job. I get to work with Bruce." I tell him, my voice beginning to shake. "But I'll still be here, coming every now and again when I can." I tell him. If I say anything else, I risk breaking down again and I've been trying not to do that. I haven't had a break down since February. So I just sit, looking at his grave. _Jason Todd 1999-2013, "Will Always be a Member of the Family." _

I don't know who decided on that, but it works. You can't really say beloved son and brother because he was more than. I brought him into this family and he solidified us at as a group. As a real family, not just a group of Wards that Bruce Wayne took in. He may have been at odds with Dick at times, but he loved him like the older brother he deserved, and I miss him. I really miss him, and it's still like ripping the stitches every time I talk about him. But I need to get over his death, so I do it anyway.

"I hope wherever you are, it's nice. Just sucks that I wont ever be able to go there with you." I smile before I get up. There are some daisies under the tree. I pick them and lay the flowers at his grave before I make my way back to the house, but I don't make it. The sun is down and the sky is dark, but out here, you can see the stars. I lay down in the grass and just look up. I do this for a while, soon Roy comes out looking for me. He walks up and lays down next to me.

"You okay?" He asks, I just let out a large sigh.

"Yeah, just wanted to look up at the stars." I tell him. He lays closer and gives me a kiss on the cheek. I sit up and climb over top of him, kissing him furiously.

"You wanna take this party inside?" He asks me but I sit up. I suddenly get this idea and I don't know exactly how crazy it is, but I just come right out and say it.

"Or we could go in the trees?" I look over at the treeline at the edge of the property, not twenty feet away. He laughs and picks me up, carrying me to a place beyond the oak trees. When he lets me down. I shove him against a tree, unbuttoning his shirt in the process. He laughs, unzipping my dress before flipping us, so I am against the tree with my bare back. I don't really remember when, but we end up of the forest floor.

* * *

On our way back inside, the smells of Dick's late night waffles waft through the air. I hear my stomach growl the minute the scents reach my nose. Roy and I both walk to the kitchen to find Dick doing exactly what we were smelling, except while he waits for each waffle to be ready, he eats out of the tub of ice cream from the freeze. I take a bite from the ice cream while Dick looks at me funny. He reached up to my hair and pulls something out.

"Why is there grass in your hair?" He asks with an odd smile. I smack his arm.

"We were just looking up at the stars." I laugh, hiding Roy's and my outdoor activities. "Besides, we want in on the waffles." I say as I pull out the butter, whipped cream and chocolate sauce.

"Alright then. Waffle night it is." He smiles, pulling out a waffle and pouring more batter. So the night goes like this. We make our waffles, all sit down in the back by the pool without feet in. It's all completely relaxing and entertaining with Roy and Dick's bantering and jokes. It's really nice to just spend time with family, no matter how small my family feels like it's getting at times. On lucky warm spring night like this, hanging out poolside with Waffles is exactly how I want to spend it. But it get's me thinking, I'm going to have to move out of my apartment and find a place in the city. Probably something with two bedrooms and an office. Maybe it could be close to Wayne Tech or high up somewhere in the city. But then it really hits me. Real life is getting started… and I can't decide if I like it or not. But I look over at Roy and know that things can only get better from here.


	40. Chapter 40

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Gotham**

**Wednesday, February 18th, 2015**

I finally found the right place a few months ago, forty-second floor facing out to the bay. It's a condo, so I get to do whatever I want with it. It has everything I need, an office with a relaxing view of the water, two bedrooms, a full kitchen, two bathrooms and an open living room. I got to paint the walls in most of the rooms a pale yellow or a light grey, but in the office, I left the walls white and coated all of them in dry erase board paint so I can do mass equations at home.

The best part that I've come to love the past few months has been the sunrises over the water. Every Morning, either I wake up to it or I get to watch it grow into full color. Today, I scheduled the day off for myself from work to finally finish unpacking. It's been so hectic and busy that there is still a sizeable amount of boxes with odds and ends, trinkets and books. I have most of the necessities already unpacked but I really need to finally finish settling in here.

Real life has been getting interesting. Roy decided he would move here to Gotham to run the Corporate branch of Queen Consolidated here. He's going to live with me, things are going to get interesting. Bruce and I are getting closer now that we're are working together and it's making family life with them easier to abandon since I'm so busy, I don't get to see them as often, but they visit me at work. But lately I've been able to start coordinating the team from Mount Justice with Mal. The newest members of the team now, are BumbleBee and Batgirl. I took the liberty on a few of my days off in the past to help them train. Especially Batgirl. As Barbara Gordon, all she had were the self defense classes her dad made her take. Now as Batgirl, she can take down most of the bad guys she's had to face. Dick and Barbara have started getting closer, you can see it almost blossoming into a relationship, but she always stops things before he can get any closer to her than flirtatious friends. I find it interesting that she's not letting him make a move, but I keep to myself about it.

I'm in the middle of unpacking the last few boxes when my comm goes off, which is odd because nowadays, it usually doesn't. They have Leigh, they don't always need me. So I pick it up and answer.

"Tesla." I say, the line quiet for a moment. the could be preoccupied for a quick moment, so I give whoever it is a second. "Tesla." I say again and I finally get someone.

"It's Mal, we are calling in everyone. It's not a mission but it's important." He says before the line cuts. This worries me, but I have to get dressed before I found out what's going to happen. I go into my closet, pulling off the pajamas I've been wearing all day and pull on a pair of jeans and a long sleeve tunic. I step into my boots and grab my coat and wallet, locking my door on the way out. I quickly make my way down to the ground floor before I grab a cab and take it to the zeta alley here in Gotham. I pay the cabbie and get out a block away from the alley. I make sure no one has followed before I get to the old photobooth and zeta to the cave. When I get there, I don't see anyone. I check the living room, and they are all sitting there, in silence like the day I told everyone about Jason. My heart drops. I see Dick and he takes me off to the side.

"What happened?" I ask, looking at everyone. The two that look the most grim are Garth and Kaldur.

"We were on a mission against Klarion. He siphoned Tula's magic to awaken and ancient spirit, Tiamat, and in the confusion, he stole a tablet and made his escape. But Tiamat was loose. We defeated it twice, but the third time, it was too much. Tula reminded us all that the legend says that the one who defeated Tiamat before had to sacrifice himself to do it, and she had to do the same. We tried to stop her, but she amplified her magic and kept us all away from her and Tiamat. She succeeded, but now she's gone." He explains in a hushed voice. I'm almost in awe. She sacrificed herself for the safety of others. But my heart drops in my chest at the price she had to pay.

"How's Garth holding up?" I ask, knowing that the two of them have been together for quite a while. Dick looks down.

"Not good, but Kaldur is worse. He's had a thing for Tula for a while, a _very_ long while. He's a lot more than whelmed about this." Dick looks at his best friend. I look over and see Wally and Artemis upset. They've know the Atlanteans for a while and have been pretty good friends with them over the years. I get an idea.

"I have something I need to do." I say before disappearing, collecting odds and ends from the extra parts in the storage room for the supercomputer of the cave as well as a few other things. I head down into the Grotto and set up shop, willing all of the odds and ends to create holographic platforms. I pull from the cave computer and get the zeta tube scan files for Jason and Tula and download them each to a holographic platform. When I turn them on, life size holograms of Jason and Tula stand here in the Grotto. When I check the clock, it seems I've been down here for almost half an hour. Hopefully, everyone is still here. I go upstairs and find Garth and Kaldur. I gesture for them to follow me, but the best friends don't do anything.

"What do you need?" Kaldur says in a quiet voice that I've never heard before.

"Just come with me, both of you." I say and they finally listen, following me through a cave passage down into the grotto. When we enter, the two of them stop in their tracts, looking at Tula.

"How…?" Garth's voice cracks. I don't think he knows exactly what is going on, but Kaldur does.

"I decided you both needed something, and I needed something too. So, I thought why not make the grotto a sort of memorial?" I begin explaining. "I made holographic platforms and downloaded the necessary files to recreate Jason and Tula. " I look at the both of them, but they just stand there, in awe of Tula. I see Garth approach it and reach out to touch her cheek, but his hand just passes through. He turns to me.

"Thank you, Ronnie." He says before turning back to face the projection. Kaldur is completely speechless. He doesn't dare go closer than ten feet while Garth is there, but he won't take his eyes off the hologram.

"I'll leave the two of you down here." I say before going back up. Some people have left, others are using training to work out their emotions. I see Troia and Connor going at it, hitting eachother with their full strength. She and Tula were close. I can see her taking it all out of Connor. Quite frankly, she's kicking his ass. But all he wants to do is help her out with all of this. I'm hearing things from different members of the team, a few of them want to leave now that two of us have died. Especially the Marvels. They are too young for this right now. Maybe they'll return to heroism when they're older. Troia wants to return to Themiscyra now that she's spent a few years in the world of man. I go and find Leigh in the library. She sits on the floor in the corner on her laptop when she gets stressed out. This week, she has pink streaks in her still short hair.

"Hey." She greets me in monotone. Her eyes are red and puffy. The past few months have been really hard on her and one of her best friends just died. I don't think she really knows how to handle this, but since she has the memories of my parents' deaths, she will probably be able to get by.

"How are you feeling?" I ask her, sitting down next to her. She just looks at her computer. "Leigh." I say a little louder, trying to get her attention.

"My best friend just died, I feel pretty crappy." She frowns, continuing to look at her computer screen. I decide to see what she's doing and she's going over security footage of a robbery.

"Homework for Batman?" I ask with an eyebrow raised. She nods.

"Just trying to figure out how the guy made it into the vault without being seen. He's probably a metahuman." She sighs, restarting the footage all over again. I watch it with her from the beginning this time. He doesn't show up on any security cameras until he's in the vault. But I do see a flicker where one person becomes another.

"He might be a shapeshifter, see that there?" I stop it at the frame where it's blurring between two people. She leans back against the wall and just lets out a rather loud exhale.

"How did I not see that before?" She complains about herself.

"Don't worry, you're just stressed out because of Tula. Everything thing will get better soon, I promise." I tell her. She just looks at me like I'm crazy.

"Nothing has been all that good for me lately and they just took a turn for the worst." She tries to convince me of her continuous misfortune.

"But it always gets worse before it gets better. This just got worse, so they are bound to turn up for you." I tell her and she just smiles.

"Okay, but I still have to go. Now that I've found this, I have to take it to Bats." She stands up, running off to leave the mountain. I'm just sitting here by myself. But I just sit here, contemplating things, until I get a phone call, it's Roy.

"Well, hello." I greet him, standing up from the floor.

"I'm at the apartment, where are you?" He asks as I walk back to the mission room to zeta back to Gotham.

"The cave, but I'm on my way home." I wave goodbye Troia and Connor before getting in the zeta tube. The call stops for a moment and resumes as I emerge in the alleyway in Gotham.

"For Tula? G.A. told me what happened. Is everyone okay?" He asks as I flag down a cab. I get inside and quickly tell the driver my address before getting back to Roy.

"Garth and Kaldur are a mess, but everyone else is managing themselves either really well or their hiding their emotions." I tell him. I hear his sigh over the phone.

"Well I hope everything gets better for them." He pauses. "Are you almost home?" He asks, he's probably anxious to do something.

"Yeah I'm getting out of the cab now, I'll be up in a few minutes." I hang up before paying the cab driver and walking into my building. I take the elevator all the way up to forty two and when I open the door, I see Roy standing with pizza.

"You didn't." I say as I run in to grab a slice like a little kid.

"I did." He smiles. I start eating my pizza and the two of us sit down on the couch. With the wave of my hand, the tv turns on and we start watching to news, pigging out on the hawaiian pizza he bought.


	41. Chapter 41

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Gotham**

**Saturday, October 31st, 2015**

I'm putting on my Halloween costume for the Team's party at the cave, when it hits me. Out of no where I'm nauseous and my throat is tightening. I sprint past Roy and slip into the bathroom down the hall, shutting and locking the door behind me. I immediately keel over and throw up into the toilet. After a few goes, I take a breath and stand up. This has been happening for a few weeks now and I've been cleverly hiding it from Roy. He'd just worry.

"Hey, Babe, do you know where my boots are?" I hear Roy call as I contemplate my sickness. But I'm just confused because I can't get sick, but here I am, vomiting in secret.

"They're in the living room!" I call back as I look in the mirror and make sure I'm presentable and clean in my army costume. I decided to go comfortable this year in baggy camo pants, combat boots and a green tanktop. I brush my teeth quickly before walking back to my room to put on the dog tags I had on my vanity. My makeup is simple so as to not get messed up when my eyes water whenever I get sick. When I see Roy in his Top Gun costume, he looks me up and down.

"I like it, much better on you than that picture online." He comes up to me and gives me a kiss. He looks down and gets this look on his face. "Ronnie, take a step back and do a slow 360." He tells me. I step back and do as he says. When I face him again the look is gone.

"What?" I ask nervously, he just shakes his head.

"Nothing, there's something different about you, but I can't quite put my finger on it and it's not the costume." He shakes off the notion before slipping on his sunglasses to complete his costume. I grab mine and the two of us leave the apartment. we go down and out onto the street. Luckily, we don't look out of place due to the Gotham Halloween pub crawls. Nothing like the smell of alcohol and throwup to get you in the halloween spirit.

I flag down a cab and the two of us climb in. It drops us off at the zeta alley and we get going. When we make it inside the cave, not a lot of people are in the mission room, but that changes when we make it to the living area. M'gann and Conner are off to the side, dressed as a vampire and a werewolf. Artemis and Wally are Bonnie and Clyde and boy, do they pull it off. Roy and I walk over to them and start a conversation. I don't really pay attention at first. I keep looking over and Leigh and Tim. Those two, Barbara and Dick are getting close because of being apart of the Batfamily. I am too but I don't get spend much time with them now-a-days. Tim is the new Robin. Batman wasn't ready to take on another Robin but he couldn't let Tim carry on the way he was without training. We've met on a few occasions, but I still have to redesign my schedule so I can get back to my heroism. I love it and it's amazing, I just have to make the time.

"Have you guys seen Cassie and La'gaan? They've just started the team and I invited them, but I don't see them." M'gann worries. I look over and see Raquel talking with Mal and Karen. But Kaldur is no where to be seen. I guess he really meant it about not coming back when he handed the leadership mantle over to Nightwing after Tula died. Garth left and went back to Atlantis. Troia returned to Themiscyra, but we get to see her visit with Wonder Woman on occasion.

"I don't think La'gaan is coming, but Cassie just got here with Zatanna and Barbara. She's dressed as a greek goddess." I point out. Her costume is funny, because she actually is a demigod daughter of Zeus. Barbara is dressed like a cop, sort of like her dad. I notice that Zatanna is dressed like a fairy this year. It's quite different. In past years, she's been a witch, a ghoul, a vampire, and now she's a fairy. doesn't really fit her usual theme but the costume is cute, so whatever.

"Well, it's good that she's at least feeling the inclusion." M'gann releases a sigh of relief. I look over and see Garfield hanging around with the first Roy Harper and Jaime Reyes. The new Blue Beetle joined the Team after the unfortunate death of Ted Kord. He's dressed as an indian, but like Cassie's costume, it's a direct reference to his heritage. My nausea returns after a few minutes. I feel Roy nudge my shoulder and lean down to say something in my ear, but I get ready to bolt.

"I'll be right back." I say suddenly before walking away. After I'm out of sight, I sprint to the bathroom. In one of the stalls, I immediately collapse on the floor, just barely making it to the toilet. As soon as I'm done, I rinse my mouth out with water. When I turn around to leave, I nearly jump out of my skin. It's Dick, standing in the doorway in his mobster costume. "What are you doing in here? This is the girls bathroom." I snap at him, moving to get past him.

"When were you going to tell someone?" He stands in the doorway, blocking my exit. I'm getting extremely irritated faster that I could possibly calm down. But I'm confused.

"What are you talking about?" I snap at him again, I want to yell at him but I feel the contents of my stomach coming up again. I run back into one of the stalls and just let go of everything else in my stomach. I get up and rinse my mouth out with water again.

"Well either you have bulimia, or…" He makes a notion but I'm not following, and I'm sure my confusion is plastered all over my face. "But you can't be bulimic because you are sort of gaining weight." He comments again. I get angry again.

"Are you calling me fat?" I question him, getting so close to yelling at him. He completely backs off.

"I'm not calling you fat, you just aren't a complete string bean anymore… That sounds bad but it's true." He struggles to talk to me about it. "So are you…" He notions at the thing again.

"I'm not following, just say it." I snap at him for the last time. He opens his mouth, trying to get it out. I motion for him to hurry up.

"Ronnie, are you pregnant?" He asks. The question hits me like a truck, forcing me to think about it for a moment.

"I'm not pregnant." I say but when I actually speak the words, I think about it even more. "Right?" I start to worry, stressing myself out. He just looks at me. "No, no, no, no." I back into the wall and slide down to sit on the floor. "I can't be pregnant. This is the worst time for this to happen. I finally got used to my job and I was going to figure everything out so I could come back to the team or at least get back to Gotham patrols. I can't be pregnant right now." I begin to cry and freak out about everything. Dick comes to my side and holds me.

"Hey, it's not the end of the world." He begins as he strokes my hair and holds me tightly. The door opens and in comes Zatanna, of all people. She takes one look and begins to back out.

"You know what? I can come back later." She begins to walk away.

"Wait, no, Zatanna, wait!" Dick gets up and stops her from leaving. "Can you stay with her? There's something I have to get." He asks her and she shrugs and goes in one of the stalls while Dick runs out to do whatever he needs to do. I just sit on the floor. When Zatanna finishes washing her hands, she joins me on the floor.

"So, do you wanna talk about it?" She asks, but it wouldn't be right to say anything right now, so I just shake my head.

"You'll find out soon enough. But for now, please don't tell anyone about this." I look to her with my red eyes and she nods.

"I promise I won't say anything." She smiles and give me a hug. I try and pull myself together while the two of us wait for Dick to come back. She just sits with me, holding me and a calming embrace. After a few more minutes, Dick finally returns. He and Zatanna exchange looks and she gets up, exiting the bathroom. Dick pulls something out of his pocket, a white stick with a cap.

"You didn't." I look at the pregnancy test with a nervous sense of fear.

"I did and you are going to take this. I scoured the medical bay high and low until I found one of these. You will take it and I will wait with you until it give you results. Now go." He orders me, handing me the stick. I hesitate before I grab it and head into a stall. It takes a minute but take the test and when I come out, I cap it and set it on the counter, waiting for the three minutes to be up.

"What do I do if I am?" I look to Dick, absolutely freaking out. He just smiles.

"Then first, you have to tell Roy. Second, you need to go to the doctor tomorrow to be absolutely positive even though we are pretty positive about this." He laughs.

"I'm not ready for this. I wasn't the first time and I'm definitely not now. I'm not even married, you're supposed to be married when you have kids, right?" I start stressing and he just grabs my shoulders.

"Ronnie, you are going to be absolutely fine. I'll always be here and you know Roy will be with you every step of the way and you don't need to be married. Even if you aren't married, the baby would still have two loving parents, no matter what." He says in a calm and collected voice, and out of the corner of my eye, I see something blue. I look down and see the little blue plus. I'm speechless, but there is this little feeling of excitement creeping over me. I walk over to the mirror and make sure I'm presentable again before stuffing the pregnancy test in my pocket.

"We just have to get through the rest of the party. I'll tell Roy later but it will be today. But don't say anything. I don't want everyone to know until after I go to a doctor and everything, okay?" I say with a faint smile looming on my face. Dick nods.

"Okay. Let's go." He gives me one last hug before we go out to face other people. When I get back Roy spots me and approaches so no one is in the directly in the vicinity.

"Hey, you've been gone for a while and you looked bothered earlier. Is everything okay?" He seems worried. Exactly what I was avoiding. But I just give him a smile.

"I'll tell you all about it when we get home." I put a reassuring hand on his arm and the two of us get back to everything. M'gann comes out with a big bucket of water and apples.

"Oh my gods, I use to do this every halloween when I was little!" Cassie gets excited. She and Tim go first, and Tim fails miserably while Cassie gets it on her first try. Roy and I stay out of it, but Wally and Artemis get competitive, trying to see how many they could each get in a minute. Too bad for Artemis because Wally cheated, moving at superspeed. M'gann and Conner do it, but neither of them can actually get the apple. Well, Conner could but when he couldn't normally, he got angry and when he finally got the apple, he bit too hard and it smashed into an assortment of pieces. Soon, the tub gets put away and We all hear M'gann familiar shreik. We all go to find her and see Zatanna laughing next to a giant monster in the misson room with M'gann cowering in fear.

"Nrut flow kcab ot lamron!" Zatanna casts and the beast shrinks back down to Wolf, Zatanna still laughing. "Happy Halloween, M'gann, I'm sorry I scared you so much." A lot of us are laughing and now M'gann is shaking it off.

"You got me good, witch." M'gann looks slyly at Zatanna, the two of them sharing a moment.

"Hey, tonight I'm a fairy." She grins, making M'gann laugh.

"Not a very good one, apparently." The two of the keep laughing until everyone relaxes and we get back to the living room area. The rest of the night, it's just laughter and a little dancing here and there. But when it hits eleven, everyone decides to call it a night since it's still a work day for all of us tomorrow. Roy and I take the zeta tube to Gotham. We get in a cab, the whole ride silent. I'm building up the courage to actually come out and say it. We get out of the cab and get in the elevator, the ride up feels like it's taking forever.

"So, are you going to te-" He begins but I cut him off, coming right out and just saying it.

"I'm pregnant." I look him dead in the eye and he just stands there, probably in shock. The elevator doors open and we just stand there for a moment. I have to put my arm out to keep the doors open. It hits him that it's time to get out of the elevator so he does. But now he's just standing there in the hallway. I reach into my pocket and put the pregnancy test in his hand. I walk away from him and unlock the door to the apartment. He comes inside, not taking his eyes off of the stick. I stand there in front of him and he just looks up at me, completely calm.

"You're pregnant." He smiles. It's a relief. I take the pregnancy test out of his hands and set in on the counter.

"You're gonna want to wash your hands if you know how one takes a pregnancy test." I tell him and the two of us laugh. We both wash out hands and grab our stash of halloween candy that we created the minute the halloween candy was put on the shelves at the grocery store. The two of us sit on the couch like we do every night and dig into the candy, turning on a movie. This is a halloween to remember.


	42. Chapter 42

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Watchtower**

**Sunday, January 3rd, 2016**

"This guy, Lobo, he's an intergalactic bounty hunter. Extremely dangerous, but not likely to return, but little guy's another story. That's a Krolotean, and Kroloteans always travel in packs." Green Lantern says bitterly, aggravated about the signs of extraterrestrials hiding on Earth. After the revealing of an alien attack, quite a few members of the League and a few of the Team are here. It doesn't seem like I should be here, but as a coordinator with Mal, I need to know everything and I need to be apart of things If I'm going to be re-integrated after the baby is born.

"Meaning, more of them are on Earth." Batman states. Knowing him, he's irritated just as much as Green Lantern that he didn't know that we were being invaded by what we now know are Kroloteans.

"I believe my friend may have vital information on that point. Some of you have not met Adam Strange, of STAR Labs' Erdel Initiative." Martian Manhunter begins, gesturing to the scientist in the corner. I know exactly who he is. I idolized him my freshman year when I figured out he created teleportation, especially when I stumbled upon a file that revealed that Dr. Strange gave the technologie to the league instead of other private investors. "He is the scientist responsible for maintaining the Zeta-Beam technology we use for teleportation." Manhunter introduces.

_I was wondering why a stranger was allowed on the top secret Watchtower._ Conner says in the mindlink. We seem to always have one of these when we are with the League. It makes sense, we have things to say that they don't necessarily want to hear.

"And he has a story to tell." Manhunter gestures towards Adam, but he just looks at everyone. What makes matters more uncomfortable, he keeps looking at my stomach. I'm getting a little big, but not that big.

"Uh it's a little involved I wish I had visual aids or something." Adam looks around nervously, but Manhunter puts him at ease.

"I can assist you." Manhunter reaches into everyone's mind to link us up. Adam's face is a little entertaining as he is not used to a telepath giving him an open mind. "We are all linked, Adam. What you remember we will see." He tells Dr. Strange.

Uh great?" He doesn't seem all too fond of us all seeing into his mind. "Well, I was performing a routine Zeta-Tube upgrade, when something went wrong and I found myself transported halfway across the Galaxy, to a planet called Rann." He begins. We all see his memories of this and when we all see the planet, it's incredible. "There was a scientist there, Sardath.

He was conducting his own experiments in enhanced, very enhanced, Zeta-Beam technology.

It took weeks to establish even basic communication. But Sardath eventually made me understand some of his Zeta tech had been stolen." Adam explains as we all see fixed points in his memory.

"Fits the Krolotean M.O. Their entire culture revolves around stolen tech." Green Lantern explains to us all. No one is amused.

"Sardath detected transmissions between a single location on Rann and multiple locations on Earth. He was attempting to trace those when he accidentally transported me to Rann.

He gave me this." Adam holds up a sort of holographic projector that shows a golden hologram of earth with little makers like pins. "It detects trace of Zeta radiation and can pinpoint all the locations where Kroloteans have beamed to Earth." He explains the function quickly and simple for those that wouldn't understand.

"Then I'm ordering a two-prompt attack. We'll stage simultaneous raids on every Krolotean target on Earth, while a contingent of Leaguers travels to Rann, with Strange here, to cut the Kroloteans off of the source." Captain Atom plans out a strategic attack, but Adam doesn't seem convinced it'll work. He clears his throat and gets everyone's attention.

"Uh, we might have a problem with that second prompt." Adam says as he pulls something else up on his holographic projector. "Totally unclear on the _why_, but earthlings are personae non gratae in Rann's corner of the Galaxy, and these six Leaguers are Wanted criminals." Adam explains as we all see the faces of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern John Stewart and Hawkwoman. We are all shocked by the revelation.

"What?" Green Lantern has completely lost his edge, feeling upset about what could have happened on Rann.

"Batman! It's the missing sixteen hours." Nightwing points out for everyone.

"Agreed. Five years ago, Vandal Savage took complete mental control of the entire Justice League. These exact six Leaguers went missing for sixteen hours." Batman explains for Adam since he is the only one

"I'll alert Hal. He and Guy are on Oa, with the Green Lantern Corps." John says, he seems cool about this when he was one of the ones in the rather incriminating holograms of Justice Leaguers.

Meanwhile, we have fifteen other active Leaguers to send to Rann to investigate." Captain Atom continues to strategize, but Adam continues to not be very enthusiastic by his planning.

"You're not getting it." Adam pulls up more photos of other Leaguers. "There's a planetary watch alert out on Rann for every Leaguer." This is what really gets me, as how a faraway planet could actually have information on the members of the Justice League without actually alerting us or coming into contact. Maybe someone like Lobo could give them their information.

"Not all of us are Leaguers." Nightwing steps forward. "I can send a squad to handle the Rann end of things, and to find out more about those missing sixteen hours without causing an intergalactic incident." He seems pretty convincing of his Team capabilities. Our newer members may be a little rough around the edges but we can still get the job done.

"Do it." Captain Atom authorizes him, Nightwing nods in acceptance of the mission. The rest of us are just watching in interest. We all begin to walk to the zeta tubes, but Adam stops Superboy.

"Uh if you're going, don't wear that shirt." He advises calmy, almost humorously. As we walk away, Zatanna and Rocket stop us.

_You know, that thing about you not being Leaguers, you four still have an open invitation. _Zatanna says in the link.

_We know, Z._ Nightwing smiles, and almost like a domino effect, it continues.

_But we're all pretty happ_y- M'gann smiles, completely relaxed.

_Where we are._ Superboy finishes the Martians sentence. They seem so in sync but they aren't even together anymore. We are all unclear on the why, but M'gann seems to be pretty over it, dating the boy from the black lagoon. Well, figuratively. We all walk to the zeta-tube, but Batman stops me, giving me the _we need to talk_ look. I step to the side with him, letting the others go on ahead without me.

"If you are going to bring up that open invitation again-" I start but he puts his hand up and I stop. He lets out a sigh before saying anything.

"If you just accepted, you could start by coordinating for the League and assisting in training the Team and working in the medical bay and the science wing, assisting Atom when he need it." He begins and I just give him a deadpan look. "You would just be a lot safer up here than down there." He's worried about me. I lower my voice.

"Bats, I'm fine. My life isn't being endangered, I'm just pregnant." I try to reassure him but he just looks at me.

"Just do your thing for this last mission and then just accept the invitation. The last time you were, you may have been young but the Light wasn't too keen on sitting by while you were going to produce life. They had a reason, and I just want you to be protected. That includes adding a lot more security measures at your place and at Wayne Tech." He is persistent in getting me to join.

"Fine, but no announcement of Tesla's joining of the League until after I have the baby." I tell him and he seems accomplished. I give him a hug when nobody's looking, and I slip away to the zeta-tube to the cave. I hear Nightwing beginning the preparations for the mission.

"It's all hands on deck. The League and the Team will hit all 14 Krolotean Zeta locations simultaneously.

Your priorities are to destroy all Zeta-Tubes or platforms and search for any humans that aliens may have abducted. As always, Mal and Ronnie are the ops managers, coordinating com from here." He instructs, everyone is standing ready. "Wonder Girl, Cation, you two and I are alpha." He begins assigning teams.

"Yes!" She celebrates. It seems fitting since she is well trained and taught by Wonder Woman herself and Leigh, well she's me without the pregnant belly.

"Neptune's beard!" I hear La'gaan get aggravated about not getting alpha. He's not the most anept at working with others and taking orders from anyone else besides his king and M'gann.

"Assignment: Philadelphia." Nightwing looks to Wonder Girl. She acknowledges and he moves on to assigning other teams. "Batgirl, Bumblebee, you two and Wolf are beta." He assigns them and they seem excited about their assigned level. La'gaan groans in not making beta. "Assignment: Vlatavastok." He looks to Batgirl and Bumblebee. He clears his throat and looks to the others. "Robin, La'gaan, Beetle You're gamma. Prep the Bio-Ship. You're headed to New Orleans." He tells them.

"Gamma always gets the soft gigs." La'gaan mumbles as he and the others move out. Nightwing grabs Robins shoulder and keeps him back for a second. I get a little interested in this.

"Tim, you'll be running gamma." He tells the younger hero with a slightly proud look. He's shocked.

"Me? Dick, I've never led a squad before." He tries to back out of this, he a little nervous.

"Making this a good opportunity to get your feet wet as a field leader." Nightwing is trying to convince him of his worthiness.

"Because it's gamma and you're not expecting trouble? Or because we're stretched thin and you have no choice." Robin is getting aggravated, Nightwing just lets out a sigh.

"Just don't die, OK? And no unnecessary risks to the squad. That's an order." He gets a little harsher in his tone and Robin leaves to join the rest of Gamma. I look to Nightwing.

"He totally called you out on your bullshit." I smirk at my brother and he just glares at me, but I know he won't stay mad for long. When it comes to me, he never can. After a while, we have an incoming transmission. I let Mal answer it.

"Gamma squad to Cave. We're in position." We see Robins face on the holo computer.

"Acknowledged, gamma. All Team squads and Justice League units are in place and ready. Go time." Mal orders before the transmission stops. He's strangely good at coordination. I guess all that time as the captain of a football team paid off. After another few minutes, we get another transmission from Gamma. So far, the other squads are pretty capable of handling themselves.

"Gamma to Cave. There's no Zeta-Tube here. No Kroloteans, no hidden entrance." We hear Robin say with confusion. Mal and I just give eachother a look of worry but we don't alert Gamma.

"Watchtower sensors still read trace of Zeta radiation from the site." Mal says plainly, trying to see where it could all be coming from.

"Yeah, I'm definitely confirming that there is zeta radiation in your area. You're gonna find it somewhere." I say, knowing that it's underwater, but I need Robin to figure this out on his own.

"Confirmed, but the radiation signature is coming from… below the waterline." Robin reports, the transmission cutting. Well, at least they have La'gaan for this, or else they would have had to wait for backup.

"They're really getting themselves into a mess this time, aren't they?" I look to Mal. He just sighs.

"I'm sure they'll be able to handle it without intervention, right?" He looks to me and a nod, but I'm not so sure. I guess this proves that Nightwing really did put Robin in charge because we're spread a bit thin and he has no choice. We get another incoming transmission from Gamma.

"Gamma to Cave. We hit the motherload. Huge base, alien tech, multiple Zeta platforms, and more Kroloteans than I can count." Robin report confidently. Mal and I look at each other and realize how much trouble this trio could really get into in this situation.

"Acknowledged. We'll send backup. Until then, lay low." I order them, but I hear an alarm in the background noise of their transmission. This is going to be a problem. We get another transmission, but this time, it's beta.

"Beta to Cave. We found the Zeta platform, the kind Strange described. There were throngs of Kroloteans here, but they zetaed away before we could apprehend. No human prisoners." Batgirl reports. Mal takes this one.

"Acknowledged. Destroy the platform and report back." He orders them. They line cuts but we get another transmission from Alpha.

"Alpha to Cave. One platform. Now, non-operational. One Krolotean, escaped. Zero abductees." Nightwing reports. Mal looks at me, so I take this one.

"Leaguers are getting the same results, ditto beta." I report, trying to be nonchalant.

"And gamma?" Nightwing raised his voice in the com, nervous about how I'll answer this one.

"Yeah about them…" I get ready to tell him. He's not going to like what he hears. "They found the main base, massive, multiple platforms, lots of alien tech and a lot of Kroloteans." I tell him simply.

"Alright, alert all team and League squads, gamma is going to need all the help they can get." He orders with an aggravated tone. I let out a sigh and the two of us get going, alerting all of the squads we have out there. Mal and I stay in the cave, waiting for a status. I send my consciousness through the circuitry and manage to access Blue's suit. He's surrounded by water but rising to the surface with multiple other people besides the members of the team. After everyone breaches, Robin makes an observation.

"Where's La'gaan?" Everyone looks around, but the atlantean breaks the surface of the water.

"That's right! Gamma squad rules!" He celebrates, but Blue looks up to the sky, noticing things arriving.

"Uh Rob?" Blue gets Robin's attention. The League and the rest of the Team are arriving. They surround gamma, looking around at the burning junkyard, but also seeing the rescued civilians. Robin looks ashamed from the looks he's getting from people, and Nightwing notices.

"Dude!" He calls out from the supercycle with a smile. "Way to get your feet wet!" He praises the team and they all relax, no longer thinking that they are in trouble. I pull my consciousness back and look to Mal.

"Are they okay?" He asks me and I nod with a smile.

"They saved the abductees and destroyed the base, I'd call that okay." The two of us laugh and finally relax, the mission nearing its end. All that there's left to do now is debrief.


	43. Chapter 43

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**S.T.A.R. Labs, Taos**

**Wednesday, January 6th, 2016**

It's weird, being in S.T.A.R. Labs, but I'm here with Dick, Wonder Woman, John Stewart and Captain Atom. But I'm not here as Tesla, I'm here as Dr. Veronica Grey, consulting bio-engineer and astrophysicist. Everyone in this project have signed confidentiality agreements about every outside presence in this lab this week due to Adam's ventures to Rann. So here we are, watching the Zeta-tube activate and it announce the arrival of the Zeta squad and Adam Strange.

"Nightwing! Check out my super cool alien souvenir!" Beast Boy pushes past Miss Martian and Superboy as they make their way toward us. It's cute how he's so eager, but Miss Martian grabs his shoulder and stops him. I guess she says something to him in the psychic link, because they have a moment of prolonged eye contact.

"Zeta squad. Report." Nightwing orders, his eyes pointed and intimidating. He's channeling his leadership a little too well.

"Our mission to neutralize the Krolotean zeta platforms on Rann was a success." Miss Martian reports as Adam steps forward with a sort of extraterrestrial flash drive in hand. I scan it, and for some reason, I can understand everything that's on it. I guess I speak machine a lot better

"I have also brought back specs from Rann to create a zeta shield to prevent any more aliens from beaming to Earth from off world." He presents to the present Leaguers and Team Members. This comes as rather interesting news to everyone, well, aside from me and the Zeta squad. The hard drive in his hand projects a holographic model of the shield around the earth, including a little Watchtower in orbit.

"How will that affect our own zeta capabilities?" Captain Atom questions with a strange sort of scowl on his face. I guess that's what you get when you spend the majority of your life in the military and end up with an shed-able alien metal formed to your skin.

"It won't. The shield wi-" He begins to explain but I impulsively cut in and finish.

"It will activate at an altitude above the watchtower's orbit. League zeta tubes will still function normally." I say in amazement, looking at the holographic model. This sort of technology is impressive. Sure, I could have built it myself if I had been told this was something the League wanted, but this is extremely impressive. Adam smiles at my interest, but as he did the day before, his eyes fall to my stomach, and the smile lessens, but you can still see a slight one formed on his face.

"Tell them about Rimbor!" Beast Boy grabs Miss Martian's arm and pulls her forward. "Tell them about the sixteen hours." He looks at all of us and quite frankly, Miss Martian is just about as shocked as the rest of us in the room. We've been trying to figure out what happened and to make matters worse, Batman and I may have known about it for almost three years now. But it was important to protect the truth in case it wasn't the whole truth.

_It may be easier to show you._ Miss Martian states in a newly forged mental link as her eyes glow their usual green. The memories begin to flood the minds of everyone in the room_. I successfully interrogated a Krolotean general on Rann who had paid off a member of the Rannian Science Command to allow the Kroloteans to land a secret base in the Rannian jungle. Once there, the Kroloteans stole zeta platform technology from Adam Strange's friend Sardath. They landed another ship in New Orleans and used the zeta platforms to beam a few hundred Kroloteans to Earth. They built more platforms brought in more Kroloteans and began abducting and replacing humans. _It's like seeing photo stills in my mind. "Perhaps as part of an invasion strategy, though that's still unclear." She seems to be making sense of it all.

"But why Earth?" Captain Atom questions.

"And what does any of this have to do with the sixteen hours?" Wonder Woman asks the question that we would all like to know, well, I would like to know the full story incase the file I geve to Batman so long ago was incomplete. I notice Miss Martians eyes begin to glow again.

_Well, As you know Five years ago, Vandal Savage placed the entire League under his control. Six Leaguers Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern and Hawkwoman went missing for a full sixteen hours._ She begins to explain, my own memories of that time running side by side with the ones she is showing us. _It turns out you were teleported to a planet called Rimbor where you spent sixteen hours on a rampage attacking everyone and everything in sight and announcing in several alien languages that you were the Justice League from Earth and that the rest of the galaxy should beware._ The memories of the six Leaguers is disturbing, seeing them go against everything they vowed to protect the people of Earth from. "That's why the Kroloteans came. The League itself brought Earth to their attention." M'gann finishes. The file was a ploy, it stated that the League went to retrieve something for the Light, but were spotted by the government while making their escape. I look around and see how shocked everyone is, especially the three Leaguers.

"I don't know what to say. I have no memories of this. None." Wonder Woman stresses, but Captain Atom puts a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Don't blame yourself, blame Savage and his Light. But John, how is it that you haven't heard about this intergalactic incident?" Captain looks to the Green Lantern and he is just as confused as the rest of us.

"No clue, Rimbor's not a planet in my sector. But I'll head to Oa immediately to consult with the Guardians of the Universe and the rest of the Green Lantern Corps. We'll get to the bottom of this, Cap. I promise." John is determined now.

"In the meantime we still have a Krolotean invasion force to track down on Earth.

You did good work on Rann. Now we need you at the Hall of Justice." Captain tells them. We all say our goodbyes to the other scientists before taking Dr. Strange with us. When we go through the Zeta tubes and Arrive in the Hall of Justice, I go with M'gann and Connor to meet Batman while the rest take Adam to the Watchtower to start on the Zeta shield. We enter the viewing room on the other side of the interrogation room. Martian Manhunter is sitting across from a Krolotean.

"This is the Krolotean captured by Lagoon Boy, Robin and Beetle?" Miss Martian asks Batman as he watches Manhunter and the little alien.

"Your uncle has been interrogating him for days, but simply achieving psychic translation has proven difficult. In the meantime, the League and the team have hunted the Kroloteans that had been masquerading as humans. But all have escaped capture despite the fact that we destroyed their zeta platforms here and on Rann and that they apparently destroyed their own ship." Batman briefs Miss Martian. But as he does it, the Krolotean looks to her. I notice her eyes glowing. The minute Batman finishes, the Krolotean begins foaming at the mouth and doing a sort of growl. "After your success on Rann Captain Adam though you might be of some assistance-" Batman continues but the Krolotean goes limp in the chair, making Manhunter look over at the glass, directly at Miss Martian.

"The Kroloteans have an emergency rendezvous point and have standing orders in case of discovery to evacuate there." She cuts him off, nearly excited about her recovered information. I look over at the Krolotean and all the signs are there, he's catatonic. I look over at Connor and he's seeing it too, and he's angry, like he's seen it before. "A base inside a volcano on Malina Island." She tells us all.

"The team and the League will be getting together, we now have a mission on Malina Island." Batman informs. Connor and M'gann leave, but Batman grabs my arm. "It's a secure room, we need to talk." He says and I just nod.

"Alright, then what do we need to talk about?" I ask him, wondering if there are any more strings attached to my League membership deal.

"How's the baby doing?" He asks, catching me completely off guard. Usually the Bat cowl comes with brooding and intense seriousness. This is completely different.

"Fine." I raise an eyebrow at him, confused at the circumstances of this conversation.

"How far along are you?" He continues to ask the oddly out of place questions.

"I'm fifteen weeks, I'm going in to find out the gender next week." I rest my hands on the moderately sized bump between my hips. "Is that it? Can we go and do the mission coordination and planning thing?" I ask and he nods. The two of us make our way to the League library where we pass behind the doors that lead to the extra zeta tube that beams us up to the Watchtower.

* * *

**South Pacific**

"Remember this is primarily a recon mission." Batman begins. I have my mind linked with Leigh's. Since I'm sidelined and on Watchtower duty with Roy, might as well be helpful to her and the rest of the heroes on the mission. "We want to discover all we can about the Krolotean's invasion strategy before we shut them down and deliver them to the Green Lantern Corps." He makes the mission a littler clearer. I get the basic recon, but the Team can literally do recon in their sleep. Batman is expecting trouble, so the League and Team team-up is probably for the best.

"Approaching drop zone beta." Nightwing announces. I see the La'gaan look at Aquaman and the two of them share a look of confidence. A hole in the bottom of the BioShip opens and the two Atlanteans drop into the ocean. "Drop zone gamma." Nightwing announces and all of the Bats drop, including Cation, so I go with her. Cation and Batgirl take out guards and Batman just takes out the last two with a single punch each. It's hard not to admire his one and done ability, even with Atlanteans.

Inside the volcano, I'm in awe. There is a massive space shuttle in construction by the Kroloteans. There are multiple levels and structures within the volcano as well, such as scaffolding, stairs, and ladders to get to different points. The place is teeming with Black Manta's men. It's like they are on patrol, guarding the Kroloteans, ensuring they finish their ship and make it home. But that's not going, not as long as I stay connected to Cation's consciousness. She can channel my abilities, like a conduit. I do all my controlling from the safety of the Watchtower, and all of the damage happens on her end, and it doesn't even affect her. I tap into the radio frequencies here and I don't like what I hear.

"Intruders. Upper level, and in the water." I hear a muddles but familiar voice.

"Cover is blown!" I send the message through all of the League and Team comms just as the lead Manta warrior shoots a laser blast into the water, directly at La'gaan and Aquaman.

"There!" One of the guards alerts the rest that he's spotted one of the intruders. It's Robin, but he dodges the blast of the ray gun. I see Batman take out the guards shooting at his protege. I make my way to the shuttle. Funny thing about me just being a consciousness, no one but Cation can see me, and I just pass through things, like a ghost. There is combat and things exploding behind me, but I don't let that stop me now. I make it to the lower level of the shuttle and find something I really didn't want to find. Everyone is in danger.

I'm watching a dark figure sneak in complete silence, carrying something rather large in their hands. I send out a scan and find that this is something I've never seen, or even studied before, but it I recognize the elements inside. There is fuel and there is oxygen. If they get the chance to react, water and heat will be produced along with a flammable gas. Everyone is in danger. The dark figure planted the bomb and it's primed. I go up to it and put my hands on it, but they pass right through. I focus harder and try to scan the explosive mechanism. There is a timer and it is very sensitive. If I stop the clock, it will go off. If I try to disconnect the chambers before they release the reactants, I risk an even more unstable reaction.

_Cation! I have a bomb down here and it's counting down. We have five minutes before…_ I mentally tell her.

_I'm a little busy at the moment, I can't get down there, but I can help in getting everyone out. _She tells me after a period of silence. I go topside and find that reinforcements have arrived. The Wonders and Supers are on sight and destroying Mechs like it's nothing. I could be doing that but it's a lot harder to focus in a mess like this and I'd be at full power if I was present, but no, I'm pregnant so I have to be sidelined. I may not like it, but I understand.

"Three minutes to departure." I hear Manta say, but Aquaman gives him a punch so hard that his helmet falls off. Everyone freezes when we see him. Kaldur, on the side of the traitors. Cation is caught off guard and is knocked out. The last thing I see before my consciousness is disconnected from her is Superboy pulling her away from enemy fire and carrying her to safety. The next thing I know, I'm sitting in a chair next to Roy while he surveys events happening on Earth as well and maintain tabs on the squads on the mission right now. I watch the screen as the island lights up but the Bioship is already enroute home. Everyone but Superman on board, but he'll be fine with his invulnerability.

"Watchtower to Bioship. Report Status." I order, just like I'm supposed to despite the more experienced Leaguers on board that ship. After a few seconds, Nightwing respond.

"We're retrieving Superman from the water, then returning to Mount Justice. We will check in when the ship is ten minutes out from landing." He informs and just goes silent. They either have a lot to talk about, or no one wants to say anything at all. But I definitely have something I need to know. I still can't link my consciousness to Leigh's.

"Acknowledged, and the status of Cation?" I ask, and there's another bit of silence, making me nervous.

"She suffered blunt force trauma to the skull and there seems to be a fracture to the left clavicle. She's unconscious but stable. We'll know more when we get her to the Medbay in the cave. How did you-?" He ask, slipping out of his formality.

"I was there. It's easy to forget that Cation and I are mentally compatible." I tell him and he just give a light chuckle.

"I will report back when in landing vicinity. Nightwing out." He finishes the correspondence and I turn to Roy.

"Well, was it successful?" He asks with an eyebrow raised. I shrug.

"We'll find out when the League debriefs at the Cave when they all get back." I tell him as I get up and out of my chair. "I'm going to the dining hall, wanna come with me?" I ask and he smiles.

"Fine, but keep in sync with the League computer system incase we are needed." He reminds me as the two of us walk to retrieve food.

* * *

**The Cave**

"The mission was a failure, but we adjusted to the situation. It was good work and we got everyone one of our people. We may have lost all but one Krolotean, but we still have unanswered questions. The League will continue to investigate and inform the Team when a covert mission arises once again." Batman debriefs everyone. I am basically the focal point since I wasn't present in the entirety of the situation.

"Now that we have been debriefed, the decision has been made that the six Leaguers will return to Rimbor to stand trial, upon suggestion by the Guardians. So, if you would like, you can make your goodbyes as we wait for a few others that will be accompanying us." Wonder Woman states. My heart immediately drops. I don't was Batman- I don't want Bruce to leave. But I can't be selfish. I just sort of stand there, waiting and listening.

"I wish I could go with." I see Wonder Girl look down. She has a stronger bond with Wonder Woman that most of the others do with their mentors. The only ones with familial like bonds with their mentors, are those training under Batman, Dick, Tim, Barbara, Leigh and I. It seems he also has the most proteges.

"I doubt your mother would approve, and only the six of us who stand accused need take this odyssey." I see Wonder Woman put a reassuring hand on Wonder Girl's shoulder. "Though Hawkman insists on accompanying his spouse, and Icon will act as our advocate. For it seems he is familiar with intergalactic trial law." The two Amazonian warriors seem strained by the impending separation. I look to Green Lantern and Captain Atom.

"You sure this is necessary?" Captain questions the necessity of this voyage through space.

"The Guardians of the Universe seem to think so. They sent Hal and Guy ahead to make sure the so-called _high court_ of Rimbor will know we come in peace and know we expect a _fair_ trial." John seems aggravated, not so much about the voyage, but the whole reason the League is in this predicament in the first place, the Light. I look to Superman and Superboy.

"How long will you be gone?" Superboy sounds like he is going to miss Superman. It's amazing how far they've come with becoming acclimated to each other, like family.

"However long it takes to clear our names, Kon-El. But we will be back, little brother." Superman puts a reassuring hand on his shoulder. This seems to be happening a lot around here. The Team members losing their mentors are struggling with the impending separation. I see M'gann and Miss Martian and they are in an embrace.

"I'll miss you." She looks up at him. As close and worried they seem, there is something off about her. I'm realising that she has been off for a while, and I'm only noticing this now after what I witnessed in the interrogation of the Krolotean in the interrogation room.

"And I you M'gann. Oh! Perhaps you could water the plants in my apartment while I'm gone." He smiles. He is trying so hard to be like a normal human. M'gann got used to our culture a lot faster than he has, and she has it down, while he is still formal and uniform in every way. But I'm brought back to my family in front of me, the Bat family, minus Leigh who is currently in the medbay, still unconscious. I can show her the goodbye later.

"Be careful, alright?" Nightwing says to Batman, taking the words right out of my mouth. Everyone is just so serious, and I'm just standing here, holding in the emotions.

"Was about to say the same to you four." Batman keeps in his monotone, despite this being the last time we'll be seeing each other for a while. "I fear we leave the more dangerous task here on Earth." He has a slight struggle in his voice. But the four of us get proud smirks. We are the defense now that many of the heavy hitters will be off world.

"We'll manage." Nightwing promises, ready to protect the Team and the planet, just like the League does.

"Time to go." Green Lantern calls. All of the Leaguers aside from Captain Atom move and get together in a tight group on the beach. Green Lantern raises his ring and creates an orb of green energy around the eight of them and the Krolotean.

"May the gods be with you all." Wonder Woman says before the orb becomes a space shuttle. I watch as it takes off, with it, taking the closest thing I have to a father off world. I just turn and go back into the cave. I enter the Medbay and begin treating Leigh. She's refused transfusions of my blood due to it being _cheating_, but we'll manage. Now that only difficult thing left to do, is share the knowledge that they left, all of them. But I'll even harder telling her that she missed being able to say goodbye to Bruce.


	44. Chapter 44

****Author's note: Hi! I'm going to be away from my computer this summer so this story may go on hiatus until September 7th, unless I get access. It's still being debated if my computer will be able to work or not and I'm getting the replacement the day I go back to school for Junior year. I know, this sucks, but don't worry! I'll do the best I can to get closer to the ending before my computer shuts off. Now, back to the story! **

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Gotham**

**Sunday, February 28th, 2016**

Roy is finishing painting the nursery. We thought it was time we convert the spare bedroom since I'm nearing the end of my second trimester. Might as well since this thing could come early. The theory is that I'll carry full term since my baby and I are sharing a blood supply. But it could be possible that my blood is working a little too well, helping the little one develop a little faster. So, here we are, painting the nursery. The walls are a light blue and the center of the floor has a pyramid of baby stuff in the packaging. The stress is getting to me and the only thing keeping me sane in this moment, is the jar of nutella in my hands.

"I'm done." Roy grins as he puts down the paint roller and comes over to me. I give him a bite of the nutella.

"And who said a little girl can't have a blue room?" I grin, joking at what everyone has been saying. It's all been, _Here comes the pink_. Honestly, I never really liked pink. Besides, blue is a lot more relaxing. Roy's com goes off.

"Red Arrow." He answers, I tune in out of sheer boredom. I haven't had anything to do and the only interesting thing that's happened since Malina Island, has been the Golem that Intergang somehow managed to re-animate before Superboy and Blue Beetle stopped it. But I guess I don't have to, because mine begins to go off as well.

"Tesla." I answer, hoping that there's something I can actually do.

"Cave to Tesla, we have something that requires your expertise. We have something in the Cave that needs to be studied and Cation is having trouble with her concussion." I hear Nightwing report. Well, I guess I finally get my interesting.

"I have to take over Watchtower duty to cover for G.A. Where do you have to go?" He asks as I struggle to pull on my boots and lace them up with my stomach in the way. I found that I have to sit on the floor if I want any chance at putting on shoes by myself, let alone see my feet.

"The Cave has something that Leigh can't analyse, so they need me." I tell him as I slowly stand up. I grab my coat and put the jar of nutella back.

"I'll go with you to the zeta-tube." He says and I don't fight it because two stubborn people in an argument never ends well. He pulls on his coat and the two of us head out the door. We grab a cab and it drops us at the alley.

"Alright, well I guess I'll see you later." I get on my tip-toes to give him a kiss goodbye.

"You go first, I don't want you out here by yourself." He hugs me and I just do as he says. I would only be out here for a minute, and he still worried. Everyone worries. The zeta-tube recognizes me and off I go. When I arrive in the cave, there is something giving off Zeta and Chronotron radiation. I look ahead and see a big metal pod and a kid that resembles a speedster.

"Holy sweet mother of god." I approach the pod without giving a second thought to the extra speedster, Wally snickering at my reaction to the tech. Dick approaches me.

"No way, you're Tesla!" The speedster runs up to me and looks at my stomach. "Hey partner." He whispers with a grin. I ignore it and put my hand to the smoking metal and scan it. This thing is badly damaged.

"So the kid is Bart Allen, grandson of Barry and Iris. He's-" Dick introduces but I put my hand up.

"From the future." I interrupt him. I step back and will the metal to open. "Oh wow, as much as this is cool, the circuitry is fried. So, what did you need me for? To fix it?" I raise an eyebrow at Dick and he nods. I start willing the broken panels to fuze wired back together, but I'm interrupted, my focus broken. I put my hands up and begin to get aggravated.

"What?" Dick looks to me, worried for a second. I hold still for a moment.

"You cannot kick me while I'm working." I say in a tone that I never imagined myself using. My mother used to use it. I put my hand on my stomach and begin rubbing opposite where the kicking is. It slows to a stop. "Thank you." I exhale before getting back to work. Everyone just looks at me like this is the weirdest thing they've seen all day.

"The kid needs to get back to the future, he was just sight seeing." I hear Wally say. I look up at him and I'm completely confused.

"Why have you decided to don the Red and Yellow?" I ask, wondering why he isn't home with Artemis, maybe studying for his next college exam.

"Stuff happened earlier, you'll see it on the news when you get home." He says quickly. I take one more look at the damaged technology.

"Sorry, but this thing is damaged beyond repair. I could try and replicate it, but without the proper tools or understanding of time travel, it could take years, maybe not even at all. If the kid built it, he would be able to help me understand the technology, but if not, he's stuck here." I break the bad news to them, well, it's not bad news if it means a new member of the team or a new speedster to take over for Wally since he wants to leave the life behind.

"Cool, I get to stay in the past with the original Justice Leaguers. Definitely not feeling the mode." Bart smiles. I look to him and grin.

"Totally crashed the mode." I grin and he just looks at me.

"Definitely!" But he stops. "How did you know to say _crash the mode_? You weren't here earlier when I introduced it." He makes an odd observation. I don't really know what to say.

"I, well, it kind of just came out. I don't really know where I got it from." I shrug, continuing to examine the pod. Despite the damage, I can still learn a lot from this. I look at Bart and he seems to be thinking. He looks at me like he figured out an answer, but he doesn't look at me. "Well, do you want me to move it out of the Mission room and into the hangar? Because I can do that, no problem." I offer to Nightwing.

"You don't have to, we can wait until Cation can." He replies but I just roll my eyes, He thinks it's going to strain me. I'm not even lifting it, I can control it without any problems. It may cause a little stress mentally due to the weight of the object, but I can do it.

"Fine. I'll check on her collarbone while I'm here. But first, I'm raiding the kitchen." I report while the others get back to whatever they were doing. When I'm in the kitchen and dipping oreos in peanut butter, I realise I'm not alone. It's Bart.

"If you're a technopath, do you know about Blue Beetle's…?" He ask, looking at me like he's making sure I won't lie.

"The scarab on his back? Not Ted Kord's, definitely alien, but I'm compatible with it. I've sent my consciousness though Blue's comm and was able to access the scarab, see what Blue was seeing." I tell him and he nods in understanding.

"Have you ever heard the scarab's voice? The artificial intelligence?" He asks me, and at first I don't know what he's talking about. But it hits me. There was always something, talking, but I just ignored it. I didn't really think it was actually there.

"You know something, being from the future, you know something is going to happen." I make the observation but he is just silent. "I know you can't tell me since it could screw up the whole time stream, but when the time comes and there is something that you can't stop on your own, ask for help. Everyone on the Team and the League is trustworthy. Even Arsenal, despite his outer shell of anger, he's proven himself on a number of occasions. So just ask for help and don't stay quiet when you think you can handle something on your own." I look at him for a serious moment before offering him an oreo with peanut butter on it.

"Thank you." He smiles. "There is one thing I can tell you. Your daughter? I met her in the future. Don't worry, she'll turn out just fine." He says and I'm a little confused, but I get this warm feeling.

"I have to check on my sister. I'll see you later, Bart." I give him a smile before leaving him in the kitchen with the oreos. I find myself in Leigh's room. She is in the bathroom, currently washing excess dye out of her hair with one hand while keeping a towel on her sling and shoulder. I can't see her hair just yet, so I ask. "What color is it now?" She turns the water off and stands up, rubbing her sopping wet hair with her towel.

"Hold on a second." She puts a finger up as I watch her head head up with electricity. The color slowly becomes more vibrant as it steams and dries.

"Bold move." I say as the two of us walk to the medbay. Her wavy magenta bob reminds me of Ramona Flowers from Scott Pilgrim vs the World. I sit her down on one of the beds and I take off her sling.

"Do you like it though?" She asks as I begin checking her mobility. She clearly only has a little bit left to go for wearing the sling.

"Yeah, it's cool and distinctive." I smile at her. She doesn't really acknowledge my comment. I look at her and notice the metal in her skin. I get closer and get a better look. "When did you get this?" I ask, referring to the silver piercing in her nose.

"Yesterday." She sighs, looking around the room, like she's avoiding looking at my stomach.

"I sort of like the newest edition to your array of piercings." I try to make conversation, referring to the four piercing in her left ear and three in her right. Leigh just sort of sits there, silently. I just do the same until I'm done examining her collar bone. "You've got a week left in the sling. As soon as it comes off, you can start physical therapy." I state as I pack up the medical equipment.

"So I'll see you later?" She asks, eyes falling on my stomach before actually looking at me.

"Yeah, if you want you can come over and watch a movie later this week. Roy will be there but you can bring someone if you want." I offer and she finally smiles. She's been awkward around me during this pregnancy. But it's getting better.

"Yeah, I'd like that." She grins and I walk out of the room. I just sigh and head for the Zeta-tube, but Dick stops me before I can actually go.

"I'm taking you home." He says as he pulls on his coat. I shrug and the two of us head into the tube. He gets in the cab with me and we sit in awkward silence as we ride. He's been overprotective of me since Bruce went to Rimbor. He's also running all Bat operations in Gotham in the absence of . Can't let the criminals in Gotham think they can run rampant, now can you? He follows me into the apartment building. I just stare as he gets into the elevator with me.

"Not that I don't love you or anything, but do you really thing I can't go from the lobby to my apartment without something happening?" I ask as the elevator goes up.

"Just being careful. You never know." He laughs, but that quickly fades into his newly adopted seriousness. He's starting to remind me of Batman, but without the cowl. He stays in the elevator as I unlock my apartment door and go inside. I immediately go into the bathroom and strip down. I sit for a minute as the warm water fills in the tub. I turn it off and let it cool slightly before I ease myself in. After laying in the tub with the water almost up to my nose, Roy comes home. He looks tired.

"Hi." I get his attention and he just smiles and comes into the bathroom, giving me a kiss on the forehead before he goes back to the living room. I hear the tv turn on before I tune everything out and just relax.


	45. Chapter 45

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Gotham**

**Saturday, March 19th, 2016**

I'm in the watchtower when I hear the news. La'gaan has been taken by Black Manta's men, and Artemis is down. But all I can think about, is what Wally will do when he finds out that his girlfriend was impaled by his former best friend. Five years of being partners, being inseparable, and now she's gone. I'm sitting in the garden of the Watchtower. Kahn has since been returned here now that I am a member of the League. I'm sitting against his massive body as he curls around me, his nose next to my pregnant belly, sniffing it every time I feel a kick. But the tears falling from my eyes are halted when my comm goes off.

"Tesla." I answer, my voice strong, hopefully I don't seem so distraught that he has to worry.

"Ronnie, I've secured the line. It's Dick, have they told you?" He asks, referencing to her death. I don't want to hear about it again.

"Yeah, I don't want to talk about it okay? I've had a lot of people die in my life and let me tell you, I'm getting way too good at trying to hide my emotions." I tell him in a flat tone. I hear a sigh on the other line.

"I know this probably isn't the best time, but need you to come to Bludhaven. When you get there, track my comm signal to find me. I can't really disclose the information right now, I just need you to trust me. Come alone." He instructs and I just sigh, not really wanted to get up from the ground, especially now that it's harder to pick myself up while I'm quite literally a balloon.

"Okay but Roy will kill you if he finds out I'm roaming a city like Bludhaven all alone." I tell him as I use Kahn to support myself to get up. I guess he realizes that I'm having trouble, because he gets up with his head under my arm to sort of pull me up. I rub his snow white fur.

"I know." Dick sighs. "But this is extremely important. Just get here, okay?" He says before hanging up the line. I begin walking with Kahn at my side and he doesn't leave my side until I make it to the locker room. I grab my jacket and step into my shoes. It seems that my feet swell past m shoes size, so if I'm not outside, I'm barefoot.

"I have to go big boy, but I'll be back later okay?" I look at Kahn as I rub his ears. He just blinks his big purple eyes and I turn to enter the zeta tube. When I appear in Bludhaven, I immediately feel a signal. It's repeatedly sending out the message, _sparky_. That's what he called me when we were in highschool together and he just thought I had really bad static cling. I follow the signal for a while, and when my feet begin to hurt, I find the source of the signal, a warehouse. The sky is dark and I'm alone, the death of Artemis in the back of my mind. I take a deep breath before approaching the building and entering inside. After checking a few aisles, I see Nightwing.

"Ronnie, you're here." He looks to me as I walk to him.

"I swear to god if I just walked all over town for nothing, I'm going to kill you." I threaten and he just looks at me.

"You are about to find out something and I wouldn't have brought you into this if it wasn't absolutely important. So, I need you to not freak out or be angry with any of us." He instructs, and I'm completely confused when I hear something. "Wally?" Dick asks into the shadows, but someone else comes.

"No." The deep voice belongs to Aqualad. I feel my heart begin to race and and my breathing increase. He's in full Manta armor minus the helmet. Then through my panic, I see Wally arrive. But there is one last set of footsteps.

"What is going on?" I ask as the last person arrives. It's a hooded female, face obscured by the shadows. She pulls the hood back and I nearly have a heart attack. I step back and mindlessly bump into Nightwing. "You're supposed to be dead." I look at Artemis, eyes wide. Kaldur looks at me, like he's analyzing my reaction.

"I take it our rues was successful?" He looks to Nightwing. I have no idea what to do right now.

"Almost too successful. The Team and the League are in mourning, they may never forgive us." Nightwing reports to the traitor. I absolutely cannot believe what I'm witnessing.

"And still only we four know the secret?" Kaldur questions. I guess I'm the fifth wheel here.

"Ronnie is now the fifth and final member to find out. This secret and the other, that you've been in deep cover in Black Manta's organization since leaving the Team. How'd it go on that end?" He managed to weave an explanation into request of report from who I thought was the traitor.

"Successful as well. I've proven my loyalty to my biological father. He is moving me up the latter, bringing me closer to the Light, _and _their unknown partner." Aqualad reports. Now I am finally understanding, I'm finally calming down.

"Not without cost, Kaldur. The comm-sat wasn't supposed to be destroyed and La'gaan _definitely _wasn't supposed to be captured." Nightwing nearly snaps at him. It seems that he's having difficulty with maintaining this mission without coming across bumps in the road.

"It was the only way to save his life _and_ maintain my cover." Kaldur looks down, his green eyes glinting in the overhead light.

"I'm not blaming you." Nightwing puts his hand on Kaldur's shoulder in an attempt at reassurance. "I know you've been forced to make impossible decisions, like choosing to save the Kroloteans on Malina island…" Nightwing nudges at a soft topic.

"...Or saving my friends, and I will find a way to help La'gaan. You have my word." Kaldur promises. I wish they would really just tell me why I'm being included, but I don't know the right time to interrupt this filling in session. So Artemis is alive and Kaldur is a double agent, but where I fit into all of this is the question that needs answering.

"So what now?" Artemis asks, her hand squeezing Wally's. I watch as Nightwing pulls a weird leather necklace with a golden charm glittering in the light, putting it on her. Wally looks confused.

"Dude, why are you giving bling to my dead girlfriend?" Wally asks Nightwing, I can't help but let out a muffled chuckle. Kaldur looks to me, smiling like he hasn't seen anything like that in a long time. Probably hasn't. I highly doubt there's anything innocent going on in Black Manta's ranks.

"Glamour charm. Courtesy of Zatanna. Physio Morphic spell, I think. She said it backwards." Nightwing says, concentrating on Artemis.

"Wow." Wally says as he steps in front of Artemis. "You look… exactly the same." He frowns, he probably thought it was actually going to change her.

"To the five of us and _only_ us." Nightwing looks to me. I look in her reflection on the barrel and see something completely different. She's more asian than before, with thick black hair as well. "But to anyone else, you're an entire different person." He explains. I guess the charm works.

"The more impressive trick is how you got something so specific from Zatanna without revealing who or what it was for." Artemis raises an eyebrow. I look to Nightwing and he his trying not to smirk.

"We have a history." Is all he says, causing Wally to elbow him.

"Dog." Wally mocks. I backhand Nightwing's bicep. He just looks off into space. Kaldur takes a step and checks something on the arm of his suit.

"It is time." Kaldur announces, Artemis nods and Wally steps up to her. They embrace for a moment.

"What could go wrong?" She asks, slightly frantic. Wally laughs.

"Don't say that." Wally smirks, hiding his worry for his girlfriend. Dick pulls Wally's shoulder and separates the two. Artemis leaves with Kaldur and I'm still quite confused about this whole situation. I look at Wally and he doesn't seem to happy about any of this. I hear something breach the surface of the water outside. I push out and find that it's one of Manta's subs, Kaldur and Artemis now on board. We go up to the roof and watch as it re-submerges.

"We're through the hard part. They're in." Nightwing finally says but Wally just looks at him.

"Who are you kidding? It only get's more dangerous from here. The only reason that I'm letting her do this, as much as I don't want her to, is your extraction plan in case something goes awry." Wally looks at me before he speeds off, probably to finally go home, where everyone thinks his girlfriend is dead.

"So are you going to tell me what I'm needed for?" I ask Nightwing as he leans against the low wall, separating the roof from open air. He sighs and looks out over the water.

"In order to figure out the identity of the Light's new partner and to get a man on the inside, we had Kaldur fake a betrayal and get in with his father, Black Manta. We faked Artemis's death in order to have her become an assassin named Tigress, she will be Kaldur's right hand and his aide on the inside." He explains. "Where you come into play, is information retrieval, security checks, and like Wally said, I have an extraction plan. If worse comes to worse, I need you to locate the sub and force it to surface, allowing my squads to infiltrate and retrieve Artemis. Kaldur will be out of harm's way due to his father being the boss on the sub. I'll keep you informed, but I did need you to know Artemis was alive incase anything about her was in the intel that Kaldur will be passing on to me in the future." He finally clarifies my position. But at least he understands my limitations and shaped a few aspects around them.

"Well, I'm glad she didn't actually die, I may have slipped back into the Jason phase." I frown, tucking my hands in the pockets of my jacket. Nightwing hugs me. We head back inside the warehouse.

"You still on Watchtower duty?" He asks, walking me down and leading me to a crate. I watch as he pulls out a jacket and pants, pulling them on over his costume.

"Yeah, are you going to come with me? I have Kahn but the Watchtower is basically empty since the eight are on Rimbor." I say as he pulls off his mask and tucks it away in his pocket.

"Yeah, we can get a cab to the zeta-tube and then I can stay with you for a little bit. The Team won't have a mission, so the'll be fine without me for a little while." He smiles as he flags down a yellow taxi.

"Okay then, brother sister time." I smile. The two of us climb into the cab and in an actual car, it's a pretty a pretty short drive. It's irritating that I walked that much when it was only a ten minute car ride. We get out, pay, enter the Zeta-tube, and teleport away. The minute I get into the mission room, I kick off my shoes and whistle for Kahn.

"So, how is work at the Lab?" Dick asks as I drop my jacket watch as Kahn bounds up to me. I reach out to pet him but he just leans his head down and sniffs my stomach. Almost like clockwork, the baby starts kicking.

"It's great, but I don't really like being more administrative than actually making scientific discoveries." I say as I put my hands where my little girl is kicking. "Wanna feel?" I ask Dick and he smiles like a little kid, immediately replacing my hands with his.

"My niece is going to be a strong little trooper." He laughs as the kicking increases. It's like a little soccer game inside of me. But it stops and I feel the pain of her stretching against my diaphragm, shortening my breathing.

"Yeah, definitely a strong one." I try to catch my breath. Dick puts a hand on my back to make sure I'm supported incase something happened, but the baby relaxes and I finally breath. This is the third time this has happened in my pregnancy and it's normal, but it hurts more the bigger she gets and the closure we are to the due date.

"You okay?" He asks and I nod.

"Let's go to the kitchen, I'm starving." I smile and I walk with my brother, Kahn by my side.

**Author's note: I got access and I'll be working on the next chapter but it may take a while to update! If not, expect 46 sometime this week... HOPEFULLY! **


	46. Chapter 46

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**The Warworld**

**Wednesday, May 27th, 2016**

Doctor Fate's portal opens and Nightwing and I step through, finding ground on the Warworld. As much as I just want to lay down at home and sleep, there are pressing matters at hand, and Nightwing isn't even the least bit happy at the moment.

"Alright, what happened?" He questions, Captain Atom, Blue Beetle, Green Beetle and Doctor Fate stand before us. "What _happened_ to the rest of my _Team_!?" He shouts, I know it's directed at Blue, he was the only one on site when they all disappeared. But, I know he's also angry at the fact that we had to let M'gann be captured by Artemis, well, Tigress and Deathstroke so we would help Kaldur, but now he's fixed and Manta is giving her a twenty four hour ultimatum.

"It's all my fault." Blue looks down and admits to the situation, but I'm not sure that's the case.

"That assessment is inaccurate." Green Beetle defends, Captain Atom's face softens.

"Just, tell them what you told us." He tells him, completely sympathetic. Nightwing crosses his arms and I get curious, debating whether or not I should access the scarab on Blue Beetle, see what I can do to get the truth.

"We won. We were all here in this bay, Wonder Girl had Mongul hogtied, then suddenly, a boom tube opened up right beneath our feet. I flew up and out, it was instinct, you know? before I could do anything else, the boom tube closed, and the others were… gone." He looks down at the ground in shame as Nightwing pulls up his holo computer. One can't just escape from Wonder Girl's lasso and open up a boom tube.

"Definitely reading traces on boom tube activity." Nightwing states, almost upset that the story is accurate, but I'm not buying it.

"We think, Mogul may have opened up the boom tube as a means of escape, gaining the Team as captives in the bargain. The Team and worse." Captain Atom rationalizes, but what they don't know, is that I'm pushing out to the scarab, sorting my way through files to access the memory. Oddly enough, the scarab is more active than usual.

"Impulse had the crystal key." Blue Beetle sighs in disappointment of himself, but that not what happend at all.

"So, the priority is making sure no one uses it to activate the Warworld. Captain Marvel and Rocket are already guarding the key chamber, and the Justice League will continue guarding it in shifts until the key is found, and the threat is ended." Captain Marvel informs, but that is the least of my worries, as I watch from the scarab, Blue Beetle Attacking the team, taking the crystal key for himself, and I'm almost to the part where it becomes clear where the Team is but something interrupts.

_You are not authorized to access this part of the memory._ A voice says and Blue looks at me oddly. Then the excruciating headache begins when the artificial intelligence begins to fight my presence. It's like something is drilling into my brain. I push back but the pain increases and the others are beginning to notice.

"Are you okay?" Nightwing asks me and I ignore him, fighting the pain and pushing as hard as I possibly can as the scarab fights me, but all of the sudden, Blue Beetle raises his sonic cannon and I stop in my place, but I've already shut down the scarab, forcing it to deactivate and the suit to retract back into the scarab. But this point, I'm breathing heavily and the little girl I'm carrying doesn't seem to want to stop to move. Information floods through my mind

"He-he's under the Reach's control…" I look to Green Beetle the very second he lunges at me, I impulsively power down his scarab and lock the armor. There is a sharp pain in my stomach and I put my hand on it, feeling something warm and wet.

"Ronnie, what's wrong?" Nightwing slips right out of his hero persona. I grab his arm, continuing to look at the sharp pincer formed where Green Beetle's hand should be, another sharp pain flashes in my stomach, my face contorting in extreme discomfort.

"Listen very carefully. The Team is still on the Warworld, but in a quadrant farther away from here. The Reach has them contained as well as Mongul. They are set up shop in the opposite hemisphere of the ship to avoid contact with us," I tell them and before anyone can move, I continue with one last thing, speaking through my teach and I feel more pain, "and I need you to call Red Arrow for me." My grip tightens on his arm. I remove my other hand and check what the wet stuff on my stomach is. The pain spikes once again, this time, I counted till it happened again. I look down and find that my shirt is still soaking with blood.

"Ronnie…" Nightwing waves over at Doctor Fate and Captain Atom, a golden portal opening next to us and Captain accessing his comm. He picks me up bridal style and runs me through the portal and when we step out, I see that we are in Gotham General Hospital. There are tears running down my face.

"Dick, I'm not healing." I touch my hand to my side where the gash from Green Beetle is and it's still bleeding.

"I need an O.B. over here right now!" Nightwing yells as I notice my blood now dripping on the ground. I should be healing but I'm not and I'm beginning to panic. As my heart rate picks up, the lights begin to flicker all over the hospital. I notice a scatter of doctors and suddenly I'm on a gurney being wheeled towards the _authorized personnel only_ zone. I immediately, force the gurney to stop by jamming the metal in the wheels.

"Where is Roy Harper? I'm going to hang his hyde if he's not here in the next five minutes!" I scream, the pain increasing. Nightwing comes to my side.

"He'll be here, but if you don't get into surgery, you could lose the baby." He tries to calm me down as I keep crying. I feel like my whole body is on fire. There is something very wrong.

"I can't go in there without him. I really can't." I keep crying when all of the sudden, I notice a red head out of the corner of my eye. I can't help but laugh amidst my crying, he's all bleary eyes and in his pajamas.

"I'm here. Okay? I'm here." He strokes my hair, but his eyes keep wandering to my stomach.

"He the husband?" One of the doctors asks.

"Not yet but he's the father of the baby." Nightwing says before letting me go so he can slip away and get out of his Nightwing suit. Before I know it, I go from crying in the hallway to screaming and crying in an O.R., all prepped for surgery. I'm completely numb from the neck down as a I try not to panic even more that I already am.

"Hey, you're going to be fine." Roy is stroking my hair, but it' not very comforting since he is in a hospital mask and a scrub cap with one of those backwards rope things that surgeons wear in surgery.

"Roy, please don't talk." I whisper, trying to calm myself down. I start to hear the procedure beginning. I try not to pay attention so the sounds of them cutting into my body. I just look at Roy and he keeps stroking my head. But before I can even hear them announce the removal of my child, I start to get dizzy. The last thing I see is Roy's nervous eyes as the monitor with my heart rate starts to alarm as my heartbeat decels. Everything fades to black. It's like I'm trapped inside myself, thinking about how much pain I'm in. But it fades and I begin to forget things. But something comes to the front of my mind.

"_What about Amelia?" Roy asks from behind me as I lean against him, the warm sand beneath us. We had taken a zeta-tube to Starling City to visit Oliver and Dinah. But they let us go off and have a picnic on the beach. _

"_Nah, how about Reyna?" I ask and he shakes his head. His warm hands feeling the little girl kicking in my stomach. _

"_I like it but I don't think it's the name for her." He sits for a moment, thinking about a name. "What about Willa?" He asks, reaching over to take a sip of his soda. I shake my head. _

"_My mom's name was Madison but I'm on the fence on that name…" I tell him, not really sure if I want to give my child my dead mother's name. _

"_Well we could tweak it?" He offers, bending around so he can look me in the eye. I shrug. "How do you like Addison?" He puts the name out there and I smile. _

"_We could call her Addie." I grin and he gives me a kiss. This is the part where we start talking middle names, but everything blurs. The sound of machines beeping in the background. I slip away from Roy. _

I open my eyes and find myself in a hospital room and immediately my hands fly to my stomach. It's flat. There is something on my face and rip it off to find that it's a cannula for oxygen. I pull my blanket from my body and pull up my hospital gown and find that my stomach is the way it was before halloween. The skin is completely smooth and the core muscles are still intact, like I was never pregnant or even operated on. I look around and find that I'm completely alone. I being to panic, ripping all monitor attachments and climbing out of bed. The monitors go nuts but I don't care. I run for the hall and all of the sudden, every nurse at the station look at me. I probably look crazy.

"Miss, We're going to need you to calm down." One approaches me with his hands forward like he's afraid I'm going to hurt myself. I relax for a second, but then I remember Roy and my baby. Before anyone can react, I sprint down the hall, looking for the exit. I have to get home. I'm halfway to the door on the first floor when I stop cold in my tracks. Roy is standing there with a baby bag and a little girl with a mess of curly red fuzz atop her head and electric blue eyes.

"You're awake." He seems shocked. I feel completely confused, but I can't help but watch the baby suck on her little pink pacifier.

* * *

"So you're telling me I was out cold for eighteen days? That's not possible." I've been returned to my hospital room and informed on my status the past few weeks. The doctors seem as befuddled as I am.

"I can't explain the lack of residual traces of the c-section, but you were catatonic from the brain damage due to your extreme loss of blood. Now all we can do is give you a check up to you can be discharged." The doctor says. I nod as he leaves the room. I look to Roy and he smiles, so happy that I'm up and moving.

"Can I hold her?" I ask and he nods, handing me our little girl all happy with her green onesie and pink pacifier. I hold her tightly in my arms and look into her big blue eyes. Her little hand grips my thumb and squeezes the best she possibly can.

"So this is Addison Rose Harper." I can't remove my gaze from our little girls. Roy comes and sits in the side of the hospital bed, his arms around me and the baby.

"Our little Addie." He smiles, running and hand over Addie's red fuzz of hair atop her head. I kiss him as she yawns and closes her glittering blue eyes.

**Author's Note: Hi Again! There may approximately be 2-3 more chapters and hopefully I'll make an epilogue for you! So I hope those of you that have made it this far have enjoyed the ride and I'll try and have the next chapter up within a week or so. -thegirlwhoisstillwaiting**


	47. Chapter 47

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Watchtower**

**June 20th, 2016**

"There's still fluxuations." Nightwing says as we look at the stats on the Earth's Magnetic Field. It's all over the place. But I'm staying relaxed while Addie plays with one of my blonde curls. Her little giggle amongst the seriousness keeps everything more relaxed and focused that worried and chaotic.

"Blue Beetle to Watchtower, I've detected a twenty first disruptor in the North Pole." The report is difficult to handle. No one is even close to there. But I reach out and find the location, marking it on the holomap of the Earth.

"Flash to Watchtower. Impulse and I can make it." He reports and things start to look better. When they get there, it's made it into the chrysalis stage. I just zone out for a moment when Luthor instructs to two speedsters on what they should do. Lucas Carr is running through the calculations.

"This is going to be a lot more difficult than expected. To syphon the energy with their speed trails, they'll need Massive amounts of kinetic energy." He assesses and I hear some whispering behind me.

"Do you think it will be enough?" Artemis asks and all of the sudden, a Zeta-tube activates. Everyone looks back and Cation and Kid Flash are gone. I look to Roy and he nods, coming over and taking Addie from me. I reach out and connect my consciousness with Cation's. What is see is that she clinging to KF's back as he sprints to the North Pole. I watch as she lets go as Kid joins the other two speedsters. I watch as she puts her hands up and begins to try and control the magnetic field around the disruptor. I watch as Kid Flash keeps getting hit by the excess energy escaping the speed trails. Out of nowhere, Cation reaches in at Lightning speed and rips Kid Flash from his run. I can't do anything, but sit in her mind as she screams, trying to use every bit of her power to stop the disruptor. There is a moment of clarity where her mind relaxes as she pushes through her extreme pain.

_I know you're there, Ronnie. Just know that everything is going to be okay, you have Roy and Addie and you'll be fine. But, I just have to say it once. You will always be my sister, and I love you. _She says before the neurons in her brain are over loaded with the pain. I see the chrysalis stop and everything fades to black. All I see is the Watchtower and Roy holding Addie.

"Suit up, we're going out there!" I order and everyone moves. Roy just looks at me as my eyes begin to water. I grab my coat and walk away, the sounds of Addie fading behind me. I'm in the Batplane with Nightwing, Batgirl, and Robin. I don't say anything them. I don't want to hear it out loud. The plane lands and everyone runs out. I can't do it. The minute I step out of the plane, I see Leigh's lifeless body in the snow and Kid Flash lying unmoving not ten feet from her. Flash and Impulse are catching their breaths, but I run to Wally. My hands pass through him at first, but on instinct I pull through the air and latch onto the magnetic fields of isolated molecules. I send them to Kid and start piecing all other molecules back together where they fit. Out of nowhere, Kid Flash gasps for air, returning to consciousness and I start taking all of his vitals.

"Oh my god!" I hear Artemis run up. She kneels by his side as the tears fall from her eyes.

"I'm okay." He coughs, looking at Artemis, she begins to smile. But he looks to me.

"Leigh… she…" He looks me dead in the eye and I nod.

"I… my conscious was linked with hers. I was with her the entire time." I give him a weak smile before running to Leigh's body. I pick her up and run my hand through her cotton candy curls, streaked with pastel blues and pinks. The piercings in her ears are covered in her blood, it just came out of her ears and nose. I take the snow and clean the blood from her face and ears. I look up and see Nightwing and Robin. Batgirl is with Artemis and Kid Flash.

"Is she…?" Robin asks. I nod.

"She's gone." I whisper, closing her now vacant blue eyes, careful not to smudge her eyeliner. She never liked it when her makeup go messed up. "I'm going to take her back to the manor. She's not on any actual record, so we can't call a hospital or a morgue or anything. Don't even get me started where she should be buried. I wanna put her next to Jason but he's next to Bruce's parents and he's not even on Earth so I can't ask him if it okay, but she has nowhere else to go and-" I'm cut off by my hyperventilation and the tears just falling and I can't take it. "Dick, I was there, in her mind when she died. She said goodbye. She knew she was going to die… and she… she just let go…" I curl up into a ball in the snow next to my sister, talking her cold, heavy hand into mine. I feel arms encircle around me and pick me up, carrying me away. But I open my eyes for a moment and see Leigh being carried behind me. The two of us are placed in the Batplane and I just let go.

* * *

**Roy Harper's pov**

**Gotham**

I look into the bedroom and see Ronnie laying in the bed with Addie, the two of them fast asleep. Ronnie's eyes are red and puff, but her hand is just close enough to Addie for our little girl's fingers to tightly wrap around Ronnie's thumb. I back out of the room and shut the door.

"So, you stepped down to let Kaldur take the lead back in the team?" I ask Dick as he leans against the island of the kitchen.

"Yeah, I'm going to accept my open invitation into the League." He announces and I'm taken aback.

"And what brought this on?" I question, curious about why he would finally do the thing he's been avoiding for almost three years.

"Nothing really. I've been meaning to do it, and now I can since the Team is more that capable of getting by without me." He stands there, neither of us really know what to say. Our best friend almost died and one of our own died saving his life. "What about Ronnie? What's going to happen?" He seems curious, maybe even hoping the she's okay.

"We talked it over. She's going to take off work for a little bit and raise Addie and hopefully after a while, things will be at least close to normal." I let out a sigh. After we decided things, she just stopped speaking. She hasn't said a word since then, and it's been almost six hours.

"What about the League? Will she get back in the game?" He's so worried how this has affected her. He was there for every grieving moment that I have. He was there for her when her parents died, when Jason died, after she was recovering from everything that happened with the Light when they took over the League and her time in Cadmus.

"I'm not sure. But she might need it as a release. Kicking the crap out of horrible people seems to always put her in a good mood." I look back into the room, hearing Addie waking up. "Hold on a moment." I rush into the bedroom and take Addie out before she wakes up Ronnie. She needs to sleep and Addie needs to eat. I start making a bottle while I have my little girl on my hip.

"She looks just like Ronnie." Dick smiles as he makes faces at the giggling bundle of joy. It really helps that he's distracting her. She get's very upset when she's hungry. Much like her mother.

"Yeah, a little red head Ronnie." I smile, checking the temperature of the bottle before giving it to Addie. She grabs my finger as she starts drinking the formula.

"I guess we can only hope that Ronnie comes out of this one." Dick runs a hand through his hair. His posture and facial expression do more than enough to tell me how stresses he is. After all, Ronnie is his sister.

"Yeah, but it could be a lot harder. Everything could be weighing down on her now and what she needs, is us to do everything we can to help her." I rationalize, hoping that I'm wrong. That this won't be as bad as everyone is expecting it to be. I'm sure it'll be easier. She has Addie as a distraction and she lives with me so I'll always be there for her without a problem. She'll be fine. Out of nowhere, I see Ronnie come out of her bedroom and starts rummaging through the refrigerator. She grabs a pint of cookie dough ice cream and a spoon.

"Can I have my daughter?" She asks and I nod.

"But after I burp her. She's almost done with her bottle. Go sit on the couch and I'll bring her to you." I tell her and she nods, sitting on the couch with the pint of ice cream, her eyes still red and puffy, but so far, no new tears. She'll be just fine, in time. I mean, she curled up next to her dead sister and finally said something after six hours, but yeah, she'll be okay. All I can do, is be there for her and make sure she get's to that good place. So I have to put aside how I feel about Leigh's death, and focus everything on my two girls. They need it.

**Author's Note: ****Hi! Sorry for the short chapter but just wait for the next one!**


	48. Epilogue

**Veronica Grey's pov**

**Washington D.C**

**December 25th, 2025**

The sky is completely clear and the sun is shining, and I'm battling Black Adam and Wotan with Zatanna. Doctor Fate, Superman, and Captain Marvel went with Martian Manhunter to Mars, so It's up to the two of us to stop the two of them. Adam keeps throwing punches and throwing me around, but I just absorb the impact and heal before making my own attacks.

"Ezeerf!" I hear Zatanna shout. I look over and see Wotan slowing down, ice creeping up his body.

"Modeerf! Tekcajthgiarts!" Wotan counters, the ice exploding off of his body, before Zatanna is trapped she reverses it.

"M'i rebbur. Er'uoy eulg! Gag mih!" She shouts and I watch as Wotan is ensnared in a straightjacket and his mouth is covered by bindings. This keeps me distracted for a moment while Black Adam rams his fist into the back of my head. I black out for a few seconds, but I'm up.

"I'm done dancing, Adam." I growl, my body crackling and glowing with energy. He charges me but I react just as quickly, hooking him right in the jaw with extreme electricity. He lands on his back. I reach out and a lamp post rips out of the ground. I will it to relentlessly beat Black Adam into the pavement, reinforcing the metal with my abilities, making it even stronger and more effective.

"Stupid girl!" He shouts between blows. "You can't beat me!" He bellows, flying up and pinning me to the ground. He winds his fist back to hit me.

"Yes. I. _Can_." I smirk, exploding in blinding light, electricity running over his entire body. I kick him off of me and plant both of my palms on his temples. I concentrate all of the energy to my palms, releasing enough energy to knock out a Kryptonian. He crumbles to the ground and I act quickly, assembling an inhibitor collar and putting it on him before he even stirs.

"That was intense." Zatanna comes up next to me. I fist bump her and the two of us laugh.

"Let me take care of Wotan really quick." I rush over to the restrained sorcerer and assemble a special inhibitor collar just for him. It blocks his ability of speech. He can't cast if he can speak.

"Hey, the whole family is spending Christmas at the Manor, did Dick invite you?" I ask, remembering the fact that she and Dick got back together once again over the summer. She smiles and nods.

"I'm so excited and I can help watch the wee ones, they're just so adorable." She grins as we talk. "Tropelet su ot eht atez ebut." She casts as we are engulfed in smoke, the purple only disappearing when we were in the alley for the zeta tube.

"Well, I'll see you there." She's still grinning ear to ear. I wave before going into the Zeta Tube first. I appear in the Batcave, my holiday wear already laid out. I had Roy bring it so I wouldn't have to worry about stopping at home. I pull on my long red sweater and leggings, switching into my boots and stashing my uniform. I head up stairs and when I see the study, nostalgia washes over me from when I lived here. It happens everytime I come to this house, the memories. As I walk to the living room, I twist my wedding ring nervously, hoping today goes smoothly. I enter the living room and I hear excited squeals.

"Mommy!" I hear Addie call as she sees me, pointing me out to her two younger brothers, Chase and Reese.

"Mommy's here!" Chase squeals as I bend down. My nine year old and twin six year olds tackle me. Moments like these have never made me happier. After a few moments indulging them, I get up and look around. What I see is amazing.

"Mommy's gonna go talk to Bruce, okay? Stay out of trouble." I gesture that I'm watching them and the three of them just giggle and run off, probably to the kitchen where they know Alfred won't say no to letting them eat some batter. I walk over the Bruce and I'm actually quite entertained to see him arguing with the newest member of the family. Little ten-year-old Damian looks exactly like his father, the only difference is that his eyes are a vibrant green.

"Veronica, tell him I'm right." He asks me all formal and aggravated, his small hands on his hips. I can't help but laugh.

"What are we debating this time." I look to Bruce, he's pinching his nose.

"Damian believes that his presents for your kids are appropriate. But samurai swords? Sais? They haven't even begun training yet." He looks absolutely absurd. I kinda just raise my eyebrows and try to hold back a smile.

"Well, Roy is already having Addie train with a bow, but I think she prefers training with Barry, Bart and I. She's getting faster every day. But the boys, I don't want them anywhere near sharp objects. Especially Chase, you know he's the trouble maker." I ramble a bit but I'm sure he got the points.

"Why didn't you tell me she's already started training?" Bruce looks confused.

"It never really came up, but they've all started training. All three of them would be gigantic handfuls if we didn't help them control their powers-" I'm cut off by Addie speeding around me, evading Chase while his hands are emanating with electricity. I grab his collar and stop him, grabbing his little hands to snuff out the currents. "What do I always say?" He cowers in fear.

"No using powers unless we're in training. But Addie's using hers!" Chase whines.

"And I'm about to tell her the same thing." I give his older sister a look and she stops smiling. "Now, where's Reece?" I ask the two of them.

"He's in the kitchen with Alfred." Addie tells me and I take the two of them with me. To my surprise, Roy is in the kitchen as well. He had to help Black Canary in Star City while Oliver stayed home with their little Graham. I see Reese using his technokinesis to manipulate the little robot I made with him to steal cookie dough from Alfred's bowl.

"Reese, as cute as that is, you know you're not allowed to use your powers unless we're training." I laugh, catching my son so off-guard that he looses focus and the little droid crashes to the floor with the cookie dough. Roy laughs.

"Sorry, Mommy." He looks down, awkwardly blushing. He's just like I used to be.

"It's okay, just don't do it again." I smile as I move next to my husband.

"Hi." He greets me with a smile, sticking a cookie in my mouth. I take a bite and give him a kiss. We sit and keep an eye on our kids as Addie helps Alfred make the cookies while simultaneously sneaking bits of dough to her brothers. I look over to the doorway and see Dick and Zatanna.

"Merry Christmas." I smile to the two of them. Dick sits next to me while Zatanna greets the kids. They absolutely love it when she comes around. So far, the idea is that she's gonna become their aunt sometime soon. These two have been on and off for so long that it's inevitable that they'll end up staying together.

"So, did they say what we were having for dinner?" Dick asks, I can tell he's hungry. I grab a cookie from the table and hand it to him.

"I believe it's still the traditional honey ham and some sides involving vegetables that I will probably have to trick my kids into eating." I say as I notice Damian come in and join Addie in making cookies with Alfred. The two of them have grown pretty close since he got here.

"I can help with that if you want me to." He offers and I sigh.

"We need all the help we can get when it comes to my kids." I run my hand through my hair. My children are absolutely nuts, but that just comes with the territory of children. The night continues with us laughing and having fun, having dinner as one big happy family. The children laugh and play, not a single bit of trouble for the rest of the night. Even after dinner, sitting by the fireplace, roasting marshmallows and assembling s'mores. After a few hours of stories and desserts, the little ones begin to drop, one by one. Damian and Addie on the floor by the fireplace, Chase and Reece head to head on the sofa. Roy and I load up their christmas presents into the car and carry our children out, buckling them in before going back inside to say goodbye.

We drove home, but it wasn't far. The second we found out we were having more kids, we moved out of that apartment and bought a proper house. At first, the plan was to move to my old house, but I haven't been there in nearly fifteen years. We went into the house and I couldn't handle it, being in my parents room, so we sold the house. Besides, twin boys and a speedster for a daughter? I need all the help I can get. So, we moved into a house near the Manor. We drove down mountain drive to the large stone Tudor of which we made sure to have enough bedrooms in case any more happy little accidents occurred. Roy and I unloaded the car, taking the gifts to the living room and our children up to their bedrooms. After putting down the last kid in their bed, Roy and I found our way to our own bedroom. We simply got ready for bed, and curled up on our mattress, our bodies intertwined, my head resting on his chest. The steady rise and fall of his chest lulling me to sleep, just as it always does.

_**The End...**_


End file.
